Retroperspektywy 2014

 

 

'International Theatre Festival Retroperspektywy 2014: Art radiates, summarized 10 years of CHOREA Theatre group and, more importantly, remained to serve as an open perspective for the theatre. And I do not mean only our theatre here, or only Polish theatre. It is the prospect of revitalisation of culture by redefining its social aspect. It is about embedding the artistic activity in a permanent social context, throughout various levels of depth and abstraction. In various environments, communities, always with new questions and without ready answers. I mean the environments which are normally excluded from culture and function beyond the social mainstream, the communities in which the words “theatre” and “art” are hardly ever used. It is only in such places and among such people that the artist’s actions are most promising, but also most risky at the same time.

What makes this festival so special among other theatre festivals in Poland? It presents the phenomena from the field of theatre, dance and music, which are all interrelated and close to one another in the sense of their policy, methodology, personality and aesthetics, and which all refer to what constitutes the essence of CHOREA’s activity. You come to this festival and see the effects of the artistic search of people and groups which collaborate with each other in various ways, go against the flow, break stereotypes and are totally hooked on their passions. Whining or laughter over the lack of values or disintegration of identity is no longer enough for them. Instead, they ask new questions about these values and our identity in art and fight for them.

Thanks to the presence of so many various artists, the festival proves that there is no point in distinguishing between the theatre of words, theatre of dance, theatre of music... This division has already become an anachronism in arts. Everything is either a live or deadly theatre, and all kinds of theatre should make equal use of the language, music and movement. These three means of communication with the audience may be subject to various accentuation, but the theatre is fully alive when all three speak with the same strength.'

Tomasz Rodowicz

Artistic Director
of Retroperspektywy International Theatre Festival