Every year the non competitive portion of the Golden Mask Festival continues to grow and evolve. The world recognized leader of Polish theater, winner of the prestigious Theater for Europe award and unrelenting experimenter Kristian Lupa will show one part of the triptych “Persona” dedicated to Marilyn Monroe.

A cinematographic framework is also included in another Polish production – “T.E.O.R.E.M.A.T” by Zhegozha Yazhin, based on Pazolini’s “Theorem” screenplay. The depth of characters development, understated elegance and beauty of scenic textures , graphic staging accuracy, sophisticated plastic light, and thoughtful rhythm all combine to create a thoughtful performance. Zhegozha Yazhin’s theater is not only an esthetic phenomena, but “T.E.O.R.E.M.A.T” may also be considered social commentary. A guest of a bourgeoisie family changes the life of all of its members, impacting even their erotic nature. In the beginning of the play, the head of the family firmly answers all questions regarding life and morality, but is not able to answer any of these in the end. Many viewers saw this as commentary about the current state of Polish society, which learned in the past few decade the taste of cherished freedoms, but ultimately feels cheated and lost.

The topic of societal problems is even more evident in Kshishtov Varlikovskyi “Appolonia”, one of the most popular plays in the European market in the last couple of years, is a complex collage of texts from different decades. The foundation of Varlikovskyi’s play is the myths of the sacrifice of Iphigenia and Alcestis, and the tragic history of Polish woman from Apollonia, who was murdered for saving Jews.

Other interesting plays that will be showcased include “Short Story”, by a young Warsaw actor, playwright and performer Voicheh Zemilskyi about the Institute of National History that is investigating crimes against Polish citizens, but is also contributes to their harassment and lustration. The Institute then publishes records of cooperation of the actor’s grandfather with the national security service, and results in 2 years of his public exclusion.

Finally, the play “Babylon”, from the small city of Bygdosh will not only introduce it’s viewers to Maya Klechevskaya’s direction, but will also include text from the Noble Prize winner Elfrida Elinek. The main objective of this work, as identified by critics, is to evoke troubling emotions and reactions from the viewer. The play is full of shocking, explicit images and deals with the topic of a consumer society - a new Babylon, where the main "goods" are violence and the victim.

In general, the Polish Theatre in Russia will be driven by performances that are not only esthetically interesting, but also contain comments about social and critical phenomena.

Academservice traditionally provided support in hosting the members of The Golden Mask Festival.

Source: www.kommersant.ru