Gods

Man lives in an imaginary order. Most aspects of social life are based on the fact that we believe in something that does not actually exist; we make decisions believing that there will be a future, very often dependent on factors that do not exist in the real world (e.g. we take a loan believing that in 20 years we will still be able to pay it back). It is the belief in the imaginary that most differentiates humans from other animals, that helps create narratives that, among other things, have led humans to appoint themselves gods in relation to other beings or humans.

In a multicultural group of performers – amateurs and people connected to the arts, we confront the subject of faith as a factor ordering our lives. We wonder how the fact that we believe in free market, universal justice, world without borders, sustainable development or that Poland is the Christ of Nations affects our everyday choices and functioning in the world. We refer to the direct experience of the members of the group – their perception of post-colonial relations or their religion. We juxtapose our beliefs with superstitions, stereotypes, the weaknesses of that belief. In other words, we try to x-ray what most distinguishes the human species from other animals.

Performing: Emil Arkuszewski, Valentina Baudolyno, Agnieszka Bak, Ewelina Brudnicka, Marta “Tsu tsu” Chlebicka, Amok Choreomaniak, Łukasz Cybinski, Barbie Herman, Olga Honharuk, Vira Hres, Katarzyna Iwańska, Magda Janiszewska, Runak Kadr, Kasia Katana, Olga Klochko, Agnieszka Kornilov, Alona Kozyr, Maciej Jan Kraśniewski, Pavlo Luhovyi, Elżbieta Mazur, Diego Meza, Joanna Mueller, Marta Nowicka, Khavra Pashaeva, Mohammadreza Rezazadeh, Anna Romanenko, Basia Rostek, Reza Samadzadeh, Aliaksandra Shapialevich, Valentina Sorochan, Kumar Sudheir, Angelika Szkołuda, Misiek Szy, Kamilla Tantasheva, Farid Torabpour, Monika Trzeciak, Monika Tuniewicz, Jacek Twarowski, Aliaksandr Unukovich, Supriya Wardejn

Directed by: Alicja Borkowska
Text: Przemysław Pilarski Collaboration: Tomasz Gromadka
Choreography: Aleksandra Bożek-Muszyńska, Katarzyna Stefanowicz
Acting training: Dorota Papis
Music: Ray Dickaty and participants of the Free Speech Zone music workshops
Visuals: Maria Porzyc and participants of the Free Speech Zone visual workshop
Production: Weronika Chinowska, Magdalena Duszyńska-Łysak

Premiere of the performance:
23 June 2018,
Zygmunt Hübner Powszechny Theatre
20 Jana Zamoyskiego St., Warsaw
Big Stage

Beyond Theater is an international project consisting in the realisation of artistic events and professional training for multicultural groups of migrants and refugees living in Warsaw, Bologna and Antwerp. The project in Warsaw was realised by Strefa WolnoSłowa foundation in cooperation with Teatr Powszechny and the Club Commission. As part of the project activities, two editions of creative and professional workshops were held, ending with the creation of theatre performances. Both performances created as a result of workshop activities were based on improvisations and biographies of the participants themselves. The first part of the project was devoted to work on the theme of various visions of the future – the future of Poland, Europe, the world, and reflection on utopias, the (in)possibility of their implementation and agreement with the community in which one lives.

More about the project, events and activities in other cities: www.beyondtheater.com