Contemporary Polish Drama at Kolada Theatre

The Polish Foundation of Performing Artists “Plac Teatralny,” “Kolada Theatre,” and the Polish Institute in Moscow, in collaboration with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, with the support of the Theatre Institute, the Polish-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Russian Center for Science and Culture, have implemented the project “Contemporary Polish Drama at Kolada Theatre.” The joint endeavor aimed to showcase a cross-section of the latest Polish playwriting. As part of the aforementioned project, on October 27, 2017, we presented the play “Miss HIV” by Maciej Kowalewski, directed by Maciej Wiktor. On October 28-29, 2017, actors from “Kolada Theatre” prepared four readings of contemporary Polish dramatic texts: “Obce ciała” by Julia Holewińska, “Gardenia” by Elżbieta Chowaniec, “Walizka” by Małgorzata Sikorska-Miszczuk, and “W promieniach” by Artur Pałyga. We translated the play “W promieniach” and “Miss HIV” into Russian as part of the project conducted by the “Plac Teatralny” Foundation. Denis Viren, an outstanding translator of Polish literature, translated both texts. The readings of the dramas were prepared by Maria Kontrovich, a director from the Nikolai Kolada School. The introductions to the readings were given by Katarzyna Tokarska-Stangret, a doctoral student of theater studies at the Jagiellonian University and the secretary of the editorial office of the monthly magazine “Teatr.” Artur Pałyga and Maciej Kowalewski, the playwrights, were guests at the readings and answered audience questions about their own dramatic works. The project was under the media patronage of the magazine “Teatr.” As part of the media patronage, the magazine “Teatr” published an extensive report on our project in Yekaterinburg in the February issue. Kolada Theatre in Yekaterinburg is one of the most important stages in Russia, discovering and promoting young Russian drama. The Siberian School, with Yekaterinburg at its center, belongs to the elite of global theaters for new plays. It is enough to mention Jarosława Pulinowicz and Irina Vaskovskaya as proof of the quality of the dramas emerging from Nikolai Kolada’s circle. The “Plac Teatralny” Foundation is the first non-Russian institution to present non-Russian playwriting at Kolada Theatre. No one before us has premiered a performance based on a text from their own country on this well-deserved stage for contemporary drama. It is even more gratifying that the play “Miss HIV” is not just a one-time presentation but will be performed for several years to promote Polish culture in one of the most important cultural centers in Russia.