PROGRAMME
„Yet, you see Madame, he's a maniac...”
WITKACY — „Unwashed Souls”
,,...I dare not pretend to be any other then the secretary, the authors are in eternity...”
WILLIAM BLAKE.
„Under the scanty light circle of our awareness a black disc is spinning, like a gramophone record, on which once and forever the history has been perpetuated in thumping of kettledrums, with copper cymbals yelling and with moaning of the choir. The black disc is whirling, like a huge sky, like the stars out of which we keep trying to tell the future..."
BOLESŁAW MICIŃSKI
Dear Spectators
I feel discomfort that the announced performance might astonish some of the audience. As a matter of fact, it borders with mania that following such a huge achievements of Tadeusz Kantor theatre, his actors set about the new performance, just to set out again to the Unknown. Unfortunately, yet without their GUIDE now. The way ahead of them won't be easy, embedded with thousands of traps, and they will have to follow it blindfolded, left stranded. Why haven't they chose rather to live with the memories of the old good times and fame?
As for me, I think art is also a result of inability to accept chaos, senselessness and nothingness, that art is made against one's own limitations, against one's own impotence and inability, against one's fears...
Behind the cardboard walls there is a backstage. Unseen but indispensible characters are waiting there, without whom nothing could have happened. They are well known to us, but at the same time enigmatic and awkward. They withstand all definitions, rules and systematics. Inconceivable puppets of their own stories, terror-stricken even of their own thoughts, they grip firmly threads of curiosity and expectation. Latently, under the surface of facts they run their implications as they were embalmed, though certainly not discreated. Silent (though they still have the ability of making a sound, like a resonator) and hidden in the shadow (though they still have the ability of showing an image, like a mirror), they are waiting for their Showing up, for their solution. What's next?
Where to draw the strength of contrariness from, to propound one's own existence, against all? Where to draw that strength which can transform cool, indifferent and all-embracing reason into a faint fantasy, cheating your senses with illusion? Where to draw it from? One can only press one's ear to the walls to hear in them a faint sound of one's own desires, fears and feelings – sound of one's own meanings and destinies... All what's needed is to press one's ear...
Prologue
Space has been reduced to the rudimentary relation of Before and After. These two areas are separated by a cardboard wall. We can call it a RIDICULOUS FAÇADE OF OUR REALITY, we hide our feelings and passions behind it, but we have to show up in front of it – (we have some qualifications for that, and nothing is going to stop us).
PLACE OF DESTINATION
our specialist is able to show off his talents and he has a witness, however he is expressing a skeptical thought, probably overheard a common platitude: "Nothing is going to happen here anymore...", so nothing is to be expected...but peace may be disturbed by an intrusive fly* even...
An attribute of a silent witness, reliable measuring device — a chronometer
HIGH TIME
The cardboard wall is not smooth, as a matter of fact it is a theatrical instrument – a sophistical installation, the presentation of its illusive possibilities is starting.
I
1. Flat screen by means of a just tug transforms itself into a block and acquires the THIRD DIMENSION
2. Scenic box from the outside
3. Its hidden interior is the center of interest of a group of actors. They are bind to it like with their own fate, from which they cannot separate even for a moment.
4. Intruder with a bell
5. Their roles they start not from the beginning, but from the point they have interrupted in: "Something has dropped down over there"
6. One of the characters, to hear better, starts pulling out wadding from a wall hole. Starts spinning the thread showing from the wall.
7. True meaning of this role
8. All are hypnotized by the tread spinning like a too long story
9. High Time
10. Anxious Knocking
11. Advices, Commands, Threats and Admonitions given to the one "INSIDE"
12. Radical Cut
13. What was making up an apparent connection with the INSIDE, is now lying down without any meaning and destination
14. The general Bafflement, Helplessness, Growing stupid
15. An Attempt
an attempt to "reconnect" is made by a "backstage" character. He inserts the rope into the indicated site in the wall. The rope is being "accepted".
16. Struggling with the internal powers.
17. Yet again this very attempt was in the short term and we really don't know if our desires have awaken vision of the unknown powers and forces, or if it only seemed to be real
18. To not to leave the audience with a distaste of the consecutive failures, fiascos, attempts and busts, we are introducing a character who will make all his best to explain to us a bit of what's going on. And now, accompanied by Spanish music an Orator is entering:
„Have you understood a single word? Isn't he making fools of us, by chance?" – these only words he will manage to stammer out – because his role is a silent one. Messages he will be passing to us are the remnants of the idea, presented in a new, fancy form: circus-like, clownishly.
19. Dumbstruck group of actors becomes now a crowd pattern (model) and the orator becomes their leader in a conjuring way.
Words and slogans have direct impact on the crowd reactions. Who can charm the crowd, readily seizes it, however one who tries to disappoint it, will become its victim..."
20. Faith, Love,…
21. Only over the hell there is the inscription: „Lasciate ogni speranza”
22. „Halvaj sheyaamod” — magic spell commencing the new act.
II
1. Arising curiosity
Like a barn gates, slowly and majestically the walls are opening wide showing the INTERIOR empty
or abandoned
however something must have happened in it, because it is being now sprayed, decontaminated, disinfected
DETHEATRIFICATION
like after the Plague
purification ritual
almost catharsis
if one only managed to bring about
a pristine purity
impeccability
abstract
„tabula rasa”
Yet a watchful eye has already noticed something in the corner on the floor
2. A blade of straw
residuum, which has emerged out of the literary abysses. Irritating with its apparent folk nature. Out of place.
3. We don't have to wait too long for the consequences of this fact. A single blade is followed by the other ones and masses of them.
4. Shapeless pile forms into a figure. It is seen by a character in black apron, who has already guessed its shape
twists straw bands, attaches ligaments
5. Straw man moves on by strange, not by its own will, mind and force
6. Appearances of movement
7. This is it!
8. All of a sudden a wrong note, a dissonance sneaks into this gymnastic rhythm,
movement against the pulling strings — INDEPENDENT, all bonds are breaking off
9. Legs set this anthropomorphic creature in motion and controlled by nobody crazy dance on the scene.
10. Infamous (though not the last one) retreat
III
Changing one's attire pretty often means entering a new phase — such a meaning, meaning of transformation is given to the scene to follow now
1. Dressing up ritual starts from a hairdo
2. Plot
3. Waiting
4. As on an arena a new machine rolls out of an abyss — a table moves forward with great intrusiveness
5. From under the table transpires ...
6. A desperate attempt of tearing the robes
7. National Comedy and its comedians
(according to Jan Matejko painting) and as it happens in the most real dramas, the tragic must be done
8. Instead of the historic text from the loudspeaker there comes only turkey gobble
9. GOBBLER ENRAGE
what an unlucky liking
10. CRIME is being committed, bloody SACRIFICE
slaughter
SIMULATION
11. Corpus delicti is vanishing
Distaste and distress is left
12. Following this debauchery, after fulfillment of this indecent act, there comes a specific numbness and catalepsy
IV
1. Gloomy and Lenten atmosphere; barrenness and colorlessness
2. "Is this the only light of these gloomy times?"
3. Melancholy of the undone deeds
4. Exposing the true nature – the STRAW GOLEM
5. His pompous stride causes further expansion of the table
6. Decided reaction cuts short this lunatic-like wandering. Claims standing in apparent contrast to the heroic deeds and referring only to the own, strictly limited complaints.
7. This what is experienced the hard way
8. Backstreet Bard — his puffing up, verdicts will be decided on our forthcoming fate
9. Escamotage, or drifting away into oblivion
10. Pedantic covering of any tracks and proves of existence
11. Charged atmosphere
12. Awaiting explosion...
Elements
In 1696 Locke used a dark room figure, or, "camera obscura" as a model of human awareness
Spyhole
From official and indifferent WATCHING we move into position of somewhat indecent PEEPING
Cane
is the extension of human senses and by that it widens the range on his activities
Straw
an emballage of straw protecting against freezing – straw golem (elevated to the rank of the national symbol by Wyspiański)
Turkey
birds have potential flight abilities, to rise above the ground, above the reality, but a turkey is flightless – this means not fulfilled aspirations. To compensate for that it puffs up.
Thread
commonly means connecting and binding. Also time and life used to be repeatedly compared with thread, being cut by the shears.
Shears
are attributed to Moira Atropos
Everlasting lights
against passing away, ignoring, oblivion...