Stage 2 of “Theatrical windows. Work in progress” concludes with a students’ show under the guidance from Polish director

A show prepared over the past two weeks by the students of the Theatre Faculty of Kharkiv I.P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts under the guidance of Polish director Marek Kościółek will be staged on 30 November.

Founder and creative leader of Teatr Krzyk (Poland), central figure of Stage 2 of “Theatrical windows. Work in progress” held workshops at the Theatre Faculty of Kharkiv National University of Arts which were streamed online and later worked with the students on a blitz show.

According to Mr. Kościółek, he tried to make the students think as far out of the box as possible while working on the show.

“All that is done is done here and now. This kind of cooperation with the actors is the cornerstone of my method”, pointed out the director. He went on to say that he had brought no ready-made concept, so the show evolved from communication with the students and understanding what exactly matters to them here and now. That is why the problem of a personal choice and the place of an artist in a modern world, making it one of the main topics that the show addresses.

“This is a very unfamiliar format for the Ukrainian students that is constantly brings them outside the box. I guess, the most valuable component of the project comes out of the opportunity to attain brand new knowledge and experience”, added the director.

He also commented that this new experience is particularly based on the remarkably good professional training the students have already received, as it helps them expand their perception of a contemporary theatre.

The director pointed out that the music will be live: the students are going to play some instruments, such as piano and violin, and the entire audience will be turned into a big stage where the boundaries between the actors and spectators will be removed altogether.

Dmytro Ternovyi, Project Coordinator, says the show is primarily for the students and instructors of Kharkiv National University of Arts and will be the basis for Mr. Kościółek’s additional lecture about his method and for professional discussion thereafter. This show will be played for the public on a later date: by the end of February, all four students’ plays directed by the professionals from all over Europe within framework of the “Theatrical windows. Work in progress” will have been integrated into a one big students’ play.

Marek Kościółek has been developing his proprietary method of working with various actors for many years already based on the traditional Polish theatre school (Grotowski and Staniewski). Graduate of the University of Szczecin, Akademia Praktyk Teatralnych Gardzienice, post-graduate studies  in directing at the Academy of Theatre Arts in Wroclaw. Member of the juries at national and international festivals. Conducting numerous theatre practices in Poland and abroad(Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Sweden, Czech Republic, Georgia, etc.). Author of a number of artistic street events and performances. A dedicated participant of various social projects that involve children, elderly people, social and ethnic groups and people with disabilities. Founder of the Teatr Krzyk that will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. Organizer of several theatre festivals where some powerful and even iconic Polish theatres took part (Teatr 8 Dnia, Teatr Biuro Podróży, Akademia Ruchu, Teatr Węgajty, Teatr Biuro Podróży, Teatr Kana, etc.).

“Theatrical windows. Work in progress” is part of the educational program “Theatrical window to Europe” initiated by Theatre na Zhukah (Kharkiv, Ukraine) 10 years ago. This year, the project is financed by the International Relief Fund-2021 that provides assistance to organizations conducting their activities in the sphere of culture and education with the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Goethe-Institut and other partners: www.goethe.de/hilfsfonds.

Lana Biba, teacher and director from the UK who promotes the school of physical theater of Jacques Lecoq , took part in Stage 1 of the project. The project further intends to invite directors from Germany (school of instrumental actor) and France (commedia dell’arte).