Silenzio!

Ramona Nagabczyńska

Opera is the center-point for this performance by Ramona Nagabczyńska.

Premiere: 07.05.2021 Play duration: 1 hour

Opera is the center-point for this performance by Ramona Nagabczyńska.

Premiere: 07.05.2021 Play duration: 1 hour

Opera is the center-point for this performance by Ramona Nagabczyńska. In order to tell us about female voices, she reaches for opera – a performative arts form which has remained almost completely unchanged for centuries.

We tend to associate voices with the symbolic sphere; with meanings assigned to sounds. We forget that it is the manifestation of complex physical attributes. The voices which evade the symbolic order are moved beyond conventions: which does not mean that they do not exist – only that we have lost the ability to hear them. Traditional female song practices have found their dominant equivalent in the virtuoso operatic arias created by male opera composers. This is where the original voice ecstasy mixes with the refined propaganda of a harmful order.

The ancient Greek practice of aischyrology, based on the use of obscene language, emerged from feminine rituals. No contemporary equivalent of this practice exists – quite the opposite: vulgarisms and references to the abject side of the body are disturbing when they come from the mouths of women.

The political aspect of the human voice is defined not only by the meanings of the words which are uttered, but in equal terms by marking the physical presence of specific bodies.

 

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Nowy Teatr describes:

Silenzio! is a performance that raises questions about the validity of women's social roles. Opera, along with its centuries-old elements – the power of the voice, tragicomedy, and the symbolic opulence of baroque gowns worn by the performers – becomes the tool for telling a story about femininity constrained by conventions. The performers skillfully use humor, building the narrative on contrasts. When the audience expects them to dance, they freeze in stillness. When they anticipate a moving libretto, they receive a jumble of abstract Italian phrases. In this way, they create a feminist performance about resisting the rigid rules of this world imposed on women.

Silenzio! is a humorous show that plays with audience expectations and what is deemed acceptable for women.

Keywords: feminism, opera, politics of the voice

 

Information

Choreography: Ramona Nagabczyńska

Performers and co-creators: Katarzyna Szugajew, Karolina Kraczkowska, Barbara Kinga Majewska, Ramona Nagabczyńska / Anna Steller

Dramaturg: Agata Siniarska

Music: Lubomir Grzelak

Vocal parts production: Barbara Kinga Majewska

Scenography and costumes: Dominika Olszowy 

Assistance with costumes and scenography: Dominika Święcicka

Lights direction: Jędrzej Jęcikowski

Tailor: Emil Wysocki

Baroque dance teacher: Marta Baranowska (Cracovia Danza)

Partners: Zachęta Narodowa Galeria Sztuki, Centrum w Ruchu

This performance was created as part of the Poszerzanie Pola project, in association with the Art Stations Foundation in Poznan.

Media

Tournee

    • July 4, 2024, Teatri di Vita, Bologna (Italy)
    • January 21-22, 2022, Teatre Lliure, Barcelona
    • December 10, 2021, International Festival Divine Comedy, Kraków
    • August 30, 2024, Internationale Tanzmesse nrw, Düsseldorf (Germany)
    • October 4, 2024, Art Week, Białystok
    • October 18, 2024, Fierce Festival, Birmingham (England)

Awards

    • Ramona Nagabczyńska awarded for direction at XIV DIVINE COMEDY International Theatre Festival in Krakow, 2021
      For the uncompromising artistic choices of the director, the ability to deconstruct theatrical codes, and the challenge to both social and artistic stereotypes. For a bold and mature concept, precise aesthetics, and the creation of a unique theatrical world.

Calendar

February 14

Silenzio!

Ramona Nagabczyńska
Theater / Dance

February 15

Silenzio!

Ramona Nagabczyńska
Theater / Dance

February 16

Silenzio!

Ramona Nagabczyńska
Theater / Dance

See also

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