The African Tales by Shakespeare

Krzysztof Warlikowski

A spectacle by Krzysztof Warlikowski in the frame of Prospero project.

Premiere: 02.12.2011 Play duration: 5 hours 30 minutes with breaks

A spectacle by Krzysztof Warlikowski in the frame of Prospero project.

Premiere: 02.12.2011 Play duration: 5 hours 30 minutes with breaks

A spectacle directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski, based on Shakespeare’s works: Othello, The Merchant of Venice, King Lear and the novel of J.M. Coetzee "Summertime" featuring actors from the Nowy Theatre.

Prospero is the international project of theatres in Liege, Modena, Luxembourg, Rennes, Berlin, Lisbon and Tampere which in this year has invited Krzysztof Warlikowski. The earlier productions were directed by Thomas Ostermeier and Alvis Hermanis.

The Prospero Project aims at creating significant cultural events and their promotion across entire Europe which results in construction of the common European culture platform disregarding the national borders. Frim the political and social point of view it draws attention to culture and art as factors encouraging creativity, exchange and cohesion between countries while giving an impulse to social and economic development.

The production features all regular co-operators of Krzysztof Warlikowski: Małgorzata Szczęśniak – costumes and stage design, Paweł Mykietyn – music, Piotr Gruszczyński – dramaturgy, Felice Ross – light design.

Cast: Stanisława Celińska, Ewa Dałkowska, Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik, Maja Ostaszewska, Magdalena Popławska, Adam Ferency, Wojciech Kalarus, Marek Kalita, Zygmunt Malanowicz, Piotr Polak, Jacek Poniedziałek.

How to stem bleeding of gods? Try it and you are bound to fail. Twilight of gods has touched all areas, even those secular, interpersonal described by Shakespeare. So we bleed together with gods and our blood falls upon us as a black rain which neither brings relief nor refreshment. Exactly the opposite, in the scorching African sun which beats down the characters of J.M. Coetzee’s novel blood dries up with scabs sticking to clean clothes which we wear to hide our decomposition progressing day by day.

Lear, Shylock and Othello – three Shakespeare’s heroes deprived of safe narration, stand before us with genuine force of their demise. A bleeding god is a man who desperately seeks love. A man who suffers miseries of an old man, Jew and Black - surrounded by women entangled with his weakness. Sooner or later everyone is to experience condition of Lear, Othello or Shylock by becoming an animal banned from its herd. Shakespeare depicted these states through a tragic prism of history’s titans acting in circumstances of tale and myth. Coetzee, knowing the apartheid reality, describes his characters only through categories of existence. He does not create soaring plots but instead designs intimate and unbearable psychotic worlds through which his own broken pride is filtered.

African Tales by Shakespeare is a new show by Krzysztof Warlikowski made with Nowy Theatre’s team and artists who have accompanied him for years. Director who has already staged ten Shakespeare dramas now creates his own fascinating vision of man extracted from the space of border experiences.

Show is made as co-production with Prospero group associating 6 Europan Theatres: Théâtre de la Place (Liege – Belgium), Théâtre National de Bretagne (Rennes – France), Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione (Modena – Italy), Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz (Berlin – Germany), Fundação Centro Cultural de Belém (Lisbon – Portugal), Tutkivan Teatterityön Keskus (Tampere – Finland), Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg from Luxembourg as well as Paris Théâtre National de Chaillot.

Co-financed by:

Co-production

Audio

Cast

Information

  • Directed by: Krzysztof Warlikowski
  • Adaptation: Krzysztof Warlikowski, Piotr Gruszczyński
  • Set design: Małgorzata Szczęśniak
  • Dramaturg: Piotr Gruszczyński
  • Music: Paweł Mykietyn
  • Lighting design: Felice Ross
  • Choreography: Claude Bardouil
  • Animation: Kamil Polak
  • Poster: Zbigniew Libera

Cast:

  • Stanisława Celińska / Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik
  • Ewa Dałkowska
  • Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik
  • Maja Ostaszewska
  • Magdalena Popławska
  • Adam Ferency
  • Wojciech Kalarus
  • Marek Kalita
  • Zygmunt Malanowicz
  • Piotr Polak
  • Jacek Poniedziałek.

Tournee

  • Liège 5 Octobre 2011
  • Modena 19–20 October 2011
  • Lisbon 28–29 October 2011
  • Rennes 15–16 November 2011
  • Luksemburg 22–23 November 2011
  • Berlin 3-4 March 2012, Festiwal F.I.N.D.
  • Paris 16-23 March 2012, Theatre National de Chaillot
  • Petersburg 3 June 2012, Festiwal Raduga
  • Amsterdam 18-19 September 2012, Teatr Stadsschouwburg
  • Kraków 9-10 December 2012, Międzynarodowy Festiwal Teatralny Boska Komedia
  • Hong Kong 22-23 March 2014, Hong Kong Art Festival
  • Krajova 23-24 April 2018, International Shakespeare Festival

Media

    Media on the project:

    • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFbzPNDbqvE

Awards

    • Diagilev Award  
    • International Shakespeare Prize, International Shakespeare Festival, Krajova, Romania (2018)

See also

  • Returning to Reims

    Theater

    13.10

    Returning to Reims

    Katarzyna Kalwat

  • Phobia

    Theater

    30.10–03.11

    Phobia

    Markus Öhrn, Karol Radziszewski

  • Metamorphosis

    Theater

    21–23.11

    Metamorphosis

    Grzegorz Jaremko

  • Threesome/Trzy

    Theater / Dance

    26.11–13.02

    Threesome/Trzy

    Wojciech Grudziński

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