East European Performing Arts Platform (EEPAP) supports the
development of contemporary performing arts (dance and theatre)
in 18 countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

19th edition of International Festival Theatre Confrontations

Sylwia Śmigiel

Festival “Theatre Confrontations” was established in 1996, by the representatives of young, alternative theatre who originated from “Young Theatre Confrontations”. Those were Janusz Opryński, Leszek Mądzik, Włodzimierz Staniewski and Tomasz Pietrasiewicz.

Following editions' programmes were built in turn by one of the founders, called Artistic Commissioner. Nowadays the festival is being run by Janusz Opryński.

The main idea was always to confront distant theatre forms and traditions, to present theatre personalities and their achievements, to find new way of understanding 'the theatre'. Main programme is always accompanied with events like exhibitions, movie screenings, concerts and discussion panels.

 

Background, purpose, idea: 

collective / romania / identity

"The programme of this year’s Confrontations focuses on three overlapping themes: collective / romania / identity.

We invited to Lublin some of the most interesting art collectives in the world: the German collective “She She Pop” (outstanding graduates of the Giessen Institute for Applied Theatre Studies), the British-German group “Gob Squad” as well as the Antwerp-based “Berlin” collective and “Pig Iron” from Philadelphia. The latter is well known to the Lublin audience, who have been following the development of their career for more than a decade.

All of the above-mentioned theatre companies represent the most interesting experimental and cutting-edge theatre in Europe. Their model of collective work offers a stimulating alternative for the European theatre system dominated by repertory theatres. Therefore, the presence of these artists will provide Festival participants with ample opportunities to expand on the questions posed by participating artists curators last year. What defines a theatre institution? What are the workings of the theatre production model that is dominant in Poland and internationally? What feasible alternatives are there? What are the frames of a theatre institution? Who defines them?

Another important theme of the festival is Romanian performing and visual arts. Manuel Pelmus, Dan Perjovschi, Gianina Cărbunariu, Vava Stefanescu and the Groundfloor collective are the most interesting contemporary artists associated with Romania, some of whom collaborated on the creation of the acclaimed Romanian pavilion at the last Venice Biennale; all of them pave the way for a new, lively and fascinating trend in performing arts, which brings together theatre, dance and visual arts. The Romanian programme was created in collaboration with the Bucharest-based curator Iulia Popovici.

Last but not least, the issue of identity: social, political, cultural and sexual one. Assuming that identity is a construct, we look into the role of a cultural, social and political context in the process of creating, choosing or imposing identity. We will ask questions about the meaning of local identity in the global perspective and will attempt to tackle the negative connotations with gender caused by the bizarre ideologies forced by the Polish Catholic Church and circles that question the fundamental democratic laws.

An exhibition by an outstanding Romanian artist Dan Perjovschi will open the Festival. His drawings, so far presented among others at an individual exhibition organised by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, are characterised by the rare ability to provide apt and witty commentary on reality. All themes are accompanied by an extensive film programme as well as a series of Q and As, debates and panel discussions during which we will comment on the performances and plays staged at the festival and their social, political and economic contexts.

Quoting Dragan Klaić, we believe that “festivals stimulate mobility of artists, works, concepts and ideas.” We are confident that the role of a festival, including that of the “Confrontations” Festival, must not be limited to yet another showcase of plays, to yet another collection of chart-topping performances. It is a waste of space, time and money. A festival must create culture; it may and it should stimulate the flow of ideas and experiences, discover new art forms and familiarize us with the less recognized phenomena, and create a space for real dialogue and lively discussion, especially at present, when – as observed on a daily basis – the space for public debate is being invaded, annexed and cynically tampered with".

Marta Keil, Grzegorz Reske – Festival Curators

Additional important information: 

8 Oct / Wednesday

7 pm – Catherine the Great – Stefan Żeromski Theatre / sala widowiskowa / admission: 20/30 PLN / 100 min

Confrontations Cinema
8 pm – Omar, dir. Hany Abu- Assad / sala kinowa / admission: 5 PLN / 96 min

 9 Oct / Thursday

6 pm – Opening of the Dan Perjovschi Exhibition / Opening of the Festival / Szklarnia Cafe

8 pm – Catherine the Great – Stefan Żeromski Theatre / sala widowiskowa / admission: 20/30 PLN / 100 min / English subtitles

8 pm – Gob Squad’s Kitchen – Gob Squad / TVP Lublin Studio / admission: 20/30 PLN / 100 min

Confrontations Cinema
7 pm – Rock the Casbah, dir. Yariv Horowitz / sala kinowa / admission: 5 PLN / 93 min

 10 Oct / Friday

4 pm – We Want to Become Architecture – Ergonomica / outdoors / 90 min / upon registration

6 pm – Jerusalem – Berlin / sala widowiskowa / admission: 10/20 PLN / 65 min / Polish subtitles

8 pm – Jerusalem – Berlin / sala widowiskowa / admission: 10/20 PLN / 65 min / Polish subtitles

8 pm – Gob Squad’s Kitchen - Gob Squad / TVP Lublin Studio / admission: 20/30 PLN / 100 min / Polish voiceover

Confrontations Cinema / Film Marathon
10 pm – Angels in America, dir. Mike Nichols / sala kinowa / 352 min / complimentary tickets

11 Oct / Saturday

3 pm – We Want to Become Architecture – Ergonomica / outdoors / 90 min / upon registration

4 pm – Raja Shehadeh and His Readers: A Meeting with Małgorzata Juszczak and Paweł Wielgosz (Le Monde Diplomatique), hosted by: Roman Kurkiewicz / sala kinowa / free admission

5 pm – The Profesor Zbigniew Hołda Award / A Lecture by Professor Karol Modzelewski / sala widowiskowa

Confrontations Cinema
8 pm – 12 Angry Lebanese, dir. Zeina Daccache / sala kinowa / admission: 5 PLN / 78 min

12 Oct / Sunday

4 pm – Good Times Are the Worst – Özen Yula – Soho Theatre / performative reading / sala czarna / complimentary tickets

6 pm – Recovered – Ludomir Franczak / basement of the Centre for Culture / admission: 10/20 PLN / 50 min

7 pm – Chopin Without Piano – Centrala / sala widowiskowa / admission: 20/30 PLN / 90 min / English subtitles

9 pm – Echoes – Zosia Bernad/Brice Pichard / oratorium / admission: 10/20 PLN / 40 min

Confrontations Cinema
8 pm – Floating Skyscrapers, dir. Tomasz Wasilewski / sala kinowa / admission: 5 PLN / 93 min

13 Oct / Monday

4 pm – We Want to Become Architecture – Ergonomica / outdoors / 90 min / upon registration

6 pm – Recovered – Ludomir Franczak / basement of the Centre for Culture / admission: 10/20 PLN / 50 min

7 pm – The Full Moon – Pavlo Arje – Soho Theatre / performative reading / sala czarna / complimentary tickets

Confrontations Cinema
8 pm – Violette, dir. Martin Provost / sala kinowa / admission: 5 PLN / 132 min

14 Oct / Tuesday

4 pm – We Want to Become Architecture – Ergonomica / outdoors / 90 min / upon registration

4 pm – Dragan Klaic’s Resetting the Stage. Why Do We Need Public Theatre? / discussion / sala kinowa / free admission

6 pm – From Istanbul with Love – Małgorzata Sikorska-Miszczuk – Soho Theatre / performative reading / sala czarna / complimentary tickets

8 pm – Zero Cost House – Pig Iron Theatre Company/ sala widowiskowa / admission: 20/30 PLN / 110 min / followed by Q & A with the artists, hosted by Grzegorz Reske.

Confrontations Cinema
7 pm – Blue is the Warmest Colour, Chapters 1 & 2, dir. Abdellatif Kechiche / sala kinowa / admission: 5 PLN / 179 min

15 Oct / Wednesday

4 pm – Precariat and the New Class War (“Prekariat i nowa walka klas”): A Meeting with Jarosław Urbanski, hosted by: Paweł Wielgosz (Le Monde Diplomatique) / sala kinowa / free admission

6 pm – Quartet for a Microphone – Vava Ştefănescu / oratorium / admission: 10/20 PLN / 60 min

8 pm – Zero Cost House – Pig Iron Theatre Company / sala widowiskowa / admission: 20/30 PLN / 110 min

8 pm – Some Use for Your Broken Clay Pots – Christophe Meierhans / sala czarna / ticket: 20/30 PLN / 100 min / Polish voiceover / followed by Q & A with the artists, hosted by Dr Paweł Mościcki.

Confrontations Cinema
7 pm – Five Dances, dir. Alan Brown / sala kinowa / admission: 5 PLN / 88 min

16 Oct / Thursday

4 pm – Contemporary Performing Arts in Romania – Iulia Pepovici / lecture / sala kinowa / free admission / 60 min

4 pm – Margarete – Janek Turkowski / Szklarnia Cafe/ admission: 10/20 PLN / 60 min

6 pm – Margarete – Janek Turkowski / Szklarnia Cafe/ admission: 10/20 PLN / 60 min

6 pm – Quartet for a Microphone – Vava Ştefănescu / oratorium / admission: 10/20 PLN / 60 min

8 pm – Testament – She She Pop / ACK Chatka Żaka / admission: 20/30 PLN / 120 min / Polish subtitles / followed by Q & A with the artists, hosted by Marta Keil.

Confrontations Cinema
8 pm – Tuesday, After Christmas, dir. Radu Muntean / sala kinowa / admission: 5 PLN / 99 min

17 Oct / Friday

4 pm – Margarete – Janek Turkowski / Szklarnia Cafe / admission: 10/20 PLN / 60 min

6 pm – … don’t wait – J. Szaniawski Theatre in Wałbrzych / premiere / sala czarna / admission: 20/30 PLN / English subtitles

6 pm – Margarete – Janek Turkowski / Szklarnia Cafe / admission: 10/20 PLN / 60 min

8 pm – Testament – She She Pop /ACK Chatka Żaka / admission: 20/30 PLN / 120 min

10 pm – Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret / oratorium / admission: 20/30 PLN / 90 min

Confrontations Cinema
8 pm – Beyond the Hills, dir. Christian Mungiu / sala kinowa / admission: 5 PLN / 155 min

18 Oct / Saturday

4 pm – Margarete – Janek Turkowski / Szklarnia Cafe / admission: 10/20 PLN / 60 min

4 pm – … don’t wait – J. Szaniawski Theatre in Wałbrzych / sala czarna / admission: 20/30 PLN / English subtitles

6 pm – Margarete – Janek Turkowski / Szklarnia Cafe / admission: 10/20 PLN / 60 min

7 pm – Typografic Majuscul – dramAcum / sala widowiskowa / admission: 20/30 PLN / 90 min / Polish and English subtitles / followed by Q & A with Gianina Cărbunariu, hosted by Julia Popovici.

8 pm – … don’t wait – J. Szaniawski Theatre in Wałbrzych / sala czarna / admission: 20/30 PLN / English subtitles

10 pm – Noire de Bucuresti – Vlaicu Golcea / oratorium / admission: 20/30 PLN

Confrontations Cinema

8 pm – Everybody in Our Family, dir. Radu Jude / sala kinowa / admission: 5 PLN / 107 min

19 Oct / Sunday

5 pm – Novorossiya – Pavel Yurov / performative reading / oratorium / free admission

7 pm – Parallel – Groundfloor / sala widowiskowa / admission: 10/20 PLN / 60 min / Polish subtitles

9 pm – Romanian Dance History X / sala czarna / admission: 10/20 PLN / 45 min

Confrontations Cinema
8 pm – Child’s Pose, dir. Colin Peter Netzer / sala kinowa / admission: 5 PLN / 116 min

Videos: 

19. Konfrontacje Teatralne Lublin 2014

Websites