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CULTURE |  |
Theatre
mine - see I with no bounds
The Day of Theatre celebrated
on the 27th of March carries not only colourful fireworks but also reflections
on the subject of the state and place of art in contemporary reality.
The problems that arise for impresarios of theatre life of late, substantiate
into several unsettling questions: will the development of technology
in the media be the cause of the death of traditional theatre forms, will
instead of a cramped stage filled with actors who sometimes have accidents,
will we not in future prefer to watch wide-screen stereophonic computer
assisted images, sterile and in every aspect ideal? Fortunately, these
doubts, after all not new, have remained up to now in the realm of rhetorical
questions. The stage, as every field of life in society, is subject to
the laws of evolution that sometimes accelerate and sometimes slow down
in their tempo. Independent though from factors stimulating change, one
permanent element of convention accompanies the theatre. This is the actor,
his sensitivity, professionalism, talent and intuition. It is the attention
of the audience that is directed at him and it is he who relates the contents
of the drama, he who is the means of thought and the juggler of atmosphere.
The
singer Elżbieta Arsso-Cwalńska and the poet Jerzy Cwaliński in creating
the Experimental Opera Theatre in 1986, decided to extract from the traditional
opera form all that had up to now restricted the relationships of theatrical
design and that which was not revealed, hidden and veiled over. In this
regard, they relied upon the actor, classical techniques of Bel Canto
and the word. The effect of this was the proposal for an individual stage
form, an operatic monodrama. Subsequent performances by them: Rosy Morning,
Running People, Sekrety Miłości (Secrets of Love), Le ruisseau dor (Stream
of Gold), Opowieści mola s szafy (Tales In a Minor Key From The Wardrobe),
Intymne życie Kopciuszka (The Intimate Life of Cinderella) and recently,
Płomień (Flame), join the perceived and mixed traditions of theatre genres:
drama, opera, vaudeville and pantomine created before the very eyes of
the audience with' live images' or fittings and props directed by a stage
design leaning towards the avant-garde work of artists. Responsibility
for the success of the experiment lies with Elżbieta Arsso-Cwalińska,
producer and at the same time, co-author of the script and most of the
show's music. She is bestowed with a beautiful sounding dramatic soprano
voice and skillfully takes advantage of conditions for the voice both
in vocal parts with music, and solo parts, as in recitation. She treats
her own body as an integral, changeable part of the stage design, giving
costumes and props an important role. Their agreed upon meaning, set often
in the course of the performance together with the public, draws in the
viewer with an individual play of theatre convention use, making it possible
for the play to enter through the temple's secret doors, bringing the
world of reality closer to that of imagination. The alternative, personal,
operatic theatre of Elżbieta Arsso-Cwalińska 
reveals
the enormous basis of creative possibilities, lying potent primarily in
the proposal of an open theatrical convention. The courage of experimentation
and interdisciplinary joining of various artistic genres of creation allows
one to believe that her live form will endure.
The Day of Theatre is an instigator of discussion on the magic of the
stage, encouraging also to take part in many gatherings that accompany
this holiday. We would in particular like to recommend the music and English
poetry of "From Purcell to the Beatles", organised under the
aegis of the British Consulate in Poznań on April 5 at 7.30 pm in the
"Sala Cesarska" auditorium of the Zamek (Castle). In addition
to Elżbieta Arsso-Cwalinskiej, the author of the idea, Ewa Kandulska-Jakóbczyk,
a pianist connected with the Poznań Academy of Music and soloist of symphonic
concerts and many overseas recitals will be there as will Artur Pieściński,
actor from the Teatr Polski in Poznań, graduate from PWST Theatre School
in Kraków (pupil of Jan Peszek and Krystiana Lupa), who will present English
poetry from Romanticism to the contemporary. It is indeed with pleasure
that our magazine has taken over the media patronage of this performance
and we sincerely invite all readers to come and join us.
Joanna Dziubkowa