- ATM Studio
The Martyrs
dir.Grzegorz Jarzyna-
Directed by
Grzegorz Jarzyna
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Dramaturgy
Roman Pawłowski
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Premiered
March 14, 2015
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Duration
2 h (no intermission)
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Tickets
Normal ticket: 80 PLN
Concessionary ticket: 65 PLN
Normal group ticket (over 10 people): 70 PLN
Concessionary group ticket (over 10 people): 55 PLN
The performance includes some nudity.
About
Europe lives in fear, for the first time since the totalitarian era. What do we fear? The Others, who will come and destroy our values, lifestyle and security. The radical religious movements that want to control the lives of individuals and the entire populations. The economic crisis that hits families and nations and undermines a sense of stability. Turning towards the principles of faith seems to be the answer to these fears. They are supposed to provide the steady foundations to build life among the shifting sands. To separate good from evil, the moral from the immoral.
However, what if faith turns into dogmatism? What if it becomes the sword, that cuts a man, a family, a community? What if idealism leads to religious fanaticism?Co jednak, gdy wiara zamienia się w dogmatyzm? Kiedy staje się mieczem, który przecina człowieka, rodzinę, wspólnotę? Kiedy idealistyczne pobudki prowadzą do religijnego fanatyzmu?
“Do not fear” – proclaims Lidka, the protagonist of Grzegorz Jarzyna’s play. The middle school student seeks in the Bible answers to her fears and the questions of her identity and the meaning of life. Her fader is worried by the sudden change in her interests and behavior. Her teachers and peers are no longer able to understand her. However, for Lidka, the opinions of others do not count. There is only one goal and one truth for which everything else must be sacrificed. Where does such determination come from? How does the religious extremism come to life? What is faith for a modern man/woman? Where is its place within the liberal system? What is it that today’s Europe fears? What is it that we fear?
For organized post-gymnasium school groups we offer introductory workshops to the performance (please contact the education department: edukacja@trwarszawa.pl for more details).
Cast
Creators
Direction, adaptation and musical arrangement: Grzegorz Jarzyna
text: Marius von Mayenburg
translation: Elżbieta Ogrodowska-Jesionek
set design: Monika Pormale
costumes: Anna Nykowska
światła: Felice Ross
video: Robert Mleczko
music: Michał Lis, Piotr Lis
musical arrangement: Piotr Domiński
dramaturgy: Roman Pawłowski
director’s assistant: Paweł Kulka
consultations regarding Bible quotes: prof. Tadeusz Bartoś
Gallery
fot. Paweł Królikiewicz
Reviews
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One of the greatest virtues of the remarkable performance directed by Jarzyna, is that it doesn’t push me into a camp of antireligious mockers.”
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“After watching “The Martyrs” I am confident that Jarzyna doesn’t need today any labels. It doesn’t matter if some people find in his current theatre traces of the old instigator or, quite the opposite, they call him the new classic, a conservative. Jarzyna is on his own path, more than ever impervious to any external whispers and ideology-based attacks.”
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“Lidka is more of a mystic than a crusader. We can see her in the scenes of long, fervent prayers. Wasilewska, one of the most interesting actresses of the young generation, has a subtle but also strong and intensive stage presence. Her looks resemble saints from the gothic paintings and her acting – characters from Bruno Dumont’s movies.”
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“The protagonist is yet another proof that Polish acting technique are holding strong. Justyna Wasilewska presents on stage a full range of means of expression and the transformation that occurs in her is absolutely astounding.”
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“I was gasping in awe, when I’ve watched „The Martyrs”. This play is not only a reflection on the history of religion in Poland, but also a reaction to the religion-based destruction in the contemporary world. Perhaps most of all, it is a voice for the spirit of science and humanism, a voice which says that a man/woman is a miracle, even if there is no God.”
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Copyrights to “The Martyrs” drama are represented in Poland by Agencja ADiT Elżbieta Manthey
