Thus, let us have fun. Interactive review of the XIV Shakespeare Festival

Katarzyna Wysocka
Piotr Wyszomirski
tł. Rafał Wyszomirski

Suggestion
This is an interactive review. All of the performances, pictures and films are its integral part. The whole material can be watched by
clicking on the given hotlinks.

Watch: Shakespeare Festival - Playlist (51 videos)

20 titles in 10 days, without dividing them to main and off scene, could be seen on this annual theatrical feast. In adittion to that there were presentations in "Theatre in the Window", Shakespeare's Summer Academy (ateliers, murales and competitions), lectures and meetings with artists. There was no event like last year's „Hamlet” by The Wooster Group, standard of the presentations was very diverse. Oskaras Korsunovas with his productions in OKT/Vilnus City Theatre was meant to be the star of the festival, yet only his eleven-year-old  "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was impressive because of its technical perfection, creativity and consequence. "Hamlet" from 2008 was very disappointing. Honours go to the Polish, as only they have shown the modern theatre, which is trying to seriously tell something about us, humans.
Finally, after watching 20 positions, we have decided that the best plays were:„Co chcecie albo Wieczór Trzech Króli” by Teatr im. Jana Kochanowskiego, Opole,  „A Midsummer Night's Dream” by Teatr Polski, Wrocław and „A Midsummer Night's Dream” directed by Korsunovas. List of reasonable plays:"Hamlet" by Ryutopia Theater, Japan, „Henry VIII” by Bea von Malchus Solotheater , „Imagine...” with Andrzej Seweryn, „Makbet Remix” by Teatr Sfinks und Bzdulof, „Burza!” and „Czekając na sen” , „Hamlet” by Korsunovas,   english „Pericles” and eventually „Jak (wam) nam się podoba” by London Metropolitan University . Plays which were quickly forgotten: „Ja, Hamlet” from Kalisz, „Król Lear” from Wrocław, „Szaleństwo Hamleta” i „Dwaj panowie z Werony” from Zimbabwe, Armenian „Wieczór Trzech Króli”,   Romanian „Burza”, Russian „Romeo i Julia”, Hungarian - Ukrainian „Jak wam się podoba”. Entertainment plays were dominating, unfortunately we have been expecting that they will be better. This year's edition was a challenge for those seeking answers and deeper meaning of nature of all things.

Ilustracja: Magda Nowak

The value itself were two plays specially created for the festival: Robert Florczak's debut, in which he assembled a dream team of coast's dancers and performers in "Macbeth Remix" and "Pericles", played by British Parrabbola Group. Florczak's play has better chances for good longevity. Unlike the British, it has already been invited to upcoming Polish and European festivals, and the director is not refusing the evolution of his "first child". A pity is, that most probably "Pericles" will not share the same fate and its adventure will end within this four festival shows. Pity, because it is a great idea on social theatre and, what is more, communication. The British are specialized in this kind of activity. Thanks to the financial setup (European grant) they could accomplish their task through the Festival and Shakespeare's Theatre Foundation. It is remarkable that the actions taken by these two, greatly improved the social aspect of the event by high-quality artistic activity.

Ilustracja: Magda Nowak

A circus was supposed to be the leitmotiv of this year’s Festival. Unfortunately, the two performances (from India and the USA) which particularly were to fulfill the programme assumptions, couldn’t be imported. Perhaps, if they had appeared, the efforts of a few companies would be assessed in a more favourable light. The budget was 20% smaller than the previous one and this prevented from organizing a symposium, which was a virtue of the thirteenth Festival. The financial mechanism of this event is rare anyway. A non-governmental organisation which provides the Festival, was able to fund half of the budget besides the council (mainly the Office of the Marshal and the City of Gdańsk, Gdynia also added a little). The Festival has been organised by a small group of people for many years, which is a standard among the NGOs, but it is not possible in the public administration. Next year the Festival will have its own Grand Prix founded by the Marshal of the Pomerania region. Will it attract good theatres or vice versa? Probably the most important number was the daily decreasing countdown to the opening of the new Theatre. In 2003 the Festival will take place in a new interior, but of course, not only.

Ilustracja: Magda Nowak

The formula is simple – we try to import what is the best in the world’s Shakespeare theatre and at the same time affordable. This year, the quantity of performances did not affect their quality, partly due to money but also because of the inappropriate selection. In the future we need to invite less theatres, but better ones. The project will be more prestiguous if the division to the Main Stage, Off Stage and maybe Small Stage is restored. Also it will be easier for the spectators to choose the performances. Preserving the formula of watching plays in the competition during the festival is a must. A bus taking the viewers between the festival places should prevent them from running nervously through the Tricity. The event cannot be drawn out, but the delays in the opening of the performances, which was this year’s nightmare, must be eliminated. Once again the auditorium of Gdynia’s Musical Theatre was not filled up (almost half of the seats were empty during the Lithuanian "Hamlet”)! The host and the official part setting should be taken under PR specialist’s wings (President Paweł Adamowicz would benefit too). Real theatre enthusiasts would be in seventh heaven buying a programme or getting the information about a paylist of each play. These are the few pain-in-the-neck words about the festival, which has the biggest chance to become a world class event from all the other ones on The Coast.

Ilustracja: Magda Nowak

On every festival, with lots of its attractions and proposals, it is easy to lose control of the value compass, yet what we witnessed this year was unique. The audiance of Tricity, especially the one from Gdańsk, was unexpectedly applauding every play, even the total trash, quite often with standing ovation (e.g. brave Armenians on playback, who must have mistaken the Shakespeare's Festival with Intervision Festival or Hungarians from Ukraine, with their "rehearsal"). Refusing someone an admiration of rubbish is, of course, improper, yet even old "De gustibus non est disputandum" has its own limits. Andre Pohlmeier, a headmaster, director and cook from the "Zimbabwe Theatre" called the Tricity audience, unlike the one from Wejherowo, Pruszcz and Kościerzyna, "the hardcore one, with great art-adaptation." Truly, a beatiful expression.

The best of the XIVth International Shakespeare Festival

performance
„Co chcecie albo Wieczór Trzech Króli”, Teatr im. Jana Kochanowskiego, Opole
Korsunovas's „A Midsummer Night's Dream”

direction
Monika Pęcikiewicz, „A Midsummer Night's Dream” Teatr Polski, Wrocław

best actress
Bea von Malchus, „Henry VIII”

best actor
Andrzej Jakubczyk, "Co chcecie albo Wieczór Trzech Króli", Teatr im. Jana Kochanowskiego, Opole

music
Felix Kubin „Makbet Remix”

lights
Korsunovas's „Hamlet”

choreography
Korsunovas's „A Midsummer Night's Dream”

scene

Ucho Gdynia Gazeta Świętojańska

Co chcecie albo Wieczór Trzech Króli Teatru im, Jana Kochanowskiego w Opolu . Jeśli masz kłopoty z „odpaleniem” filmu, wejdź tutaj

The scene of plucking out the eyes in "King Lear" was also remarkable

Golden Raspberry
After long fight and hard competion the award goes to Playback Armenians

Numbers of the Festival

1 600 000 – Festival's budget
991 – number of days left to the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre opening (status on the day of festival's end)
39 – number of shows
20  different performances
14  different locations are in „Pericles”
10  issues of festival magazine
10 meetings with artists
7  locations of the festival in Tricity (new one - tram depot on Kurza St.)
6 – number of cities in which this edition of the festival was run
5 plays in Theatre in the Window
2 plays specially created for the Festival
1 parade in the end of the festival

Więcej o teatrze w na stronie www.pomorzekultury.pl