language: Polish, Ukrainian and Belarusian | surtitles: French and EnglishFetching prices
The clatter of weapons on the borders of Europe drowns out the voices of the sufferers and refugees of this unspeakable war. Polish director Marta Górnicka, an exceptional figure in European theater, juxtaposes this noise with the powerful chanting of a choir. In Mothers. A Song for Wartime, 21 Ukrainian, Belorussian and Polish mothers vehemently confront the forces of destruction. The concentrated power of their voices is reminiscent not only of an ancient choir, but also of the Ukrainian folk song tradition of the Shchedryvkas. Based on the women's experiences of war and exile, Marta Górnicka makes musical traditions and political demands resonate in such a way that the theater gives space to a community that, beyond ideologies, is based on sensitive listening to the other.
Part of VoyageVoyage. In cooperation with Maillon, Théâtre de Strasbourg.
Tickets price includes round trip bus to Maillon, Théâtre de Strasbourg. Please bring valid travel documents!
Departure 18.15h
Meeting point box office Kaserne Basel
Duration Approx. 5 hours (incl. outward and return journey), piece: 60 minutes
Website
Biografie
Marta Górnicka is a director, writer and singer. She graduated from the Aleksander Zelwerowicz Theatre Academy, the Frédéric Chopin School of Music in Warsaw and the University of Warsaw. With the support of the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute in Warsaw, she founded the Chorus of Women. The Chorus' first production Here Speaks the Chorus premiered in Warsaw in 2010. Marta Górnicka's plays Magnificat and Requiem Machine have been performed at several festivals, including Foreign Affairs in Berlin (2014), Spring in the Netherlands, and the Mess Festival in Sarajevo. Magnificat was also seen at the Kaserne Basel and won several awards, including first place at Fast Forward, a European festival for young directors at the Stadttheater in Braunschweig. There she subsequently wrote her first play in German: M(other) Courage, which was nominated for the prestigious German theater award Der Faust in the acting-directing category in 2016. On October 3, 2018, she presented a libretto adapted from GRUNDGESETZ in front of the Brandenburg Gate with a chorus of 50 professional actors* and amateurs from different social backgrounds. In May 2019, this performance was staged in front of the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe. To deepen her research on the possibilities of the choir, Górnicka is founding the POLITICAL VOICE INSTITUTE at the Maxim Gorki Theater in fall 2019. The institute is a workshop center for the elaboration of the collective voice, body and language.
Credits
Concept and direction
Marta Górnicka
With
Lisa Kozłowa, Svetlana Berestovskaya, Valeria Obodiańska, Bohdana Zazhytska, Swietlana Onischak, Anastasia Kulinich, Natalia Mazur, Julia Rydna, Sasza Czerkas, Palina Dobrovolskaja, Katerina Aleinikova, Katerina Taran, Anna Mykhailova, Aleksandra Sroka, Katarzyna Jaźnicka, Ewa Konstanciak, Elena Zui Voitekhovskaya, Kamila Michalska, Maria Robaszkiewicz, Polina Shkliar, Daria Novik
Libretto
Marta Górnicka & Ensemble
Music
Marta Górnicka, Cezary Duchnowski, Olga Podgayskaya, traditional music (UKR, BU, PL)
Choreography
Evelin Facchini
Stage
Robert Rumas
Costume
Tanya Tur, Rufina Bazlova, Svenja Gassen, Daniela Zorrozua
Dramaturgical advice
Anka Herbut, Yaria Yasinska
Ukrainian translation of the libretto
Olesya Mamchych
Belarusian translation of the libretto
Maria Pushkina
Video
Adam Zduńczyk
Assistance
Ohla Kolokoltsava
Ukrainian ethnomusicologist
Anna Ohrimchuk
Ukrainian children's game
Venera Ibragimova
Choreography rehearsal
Lama Szydłowska
Ukrainian and Belorussian translation
Rita Guretskaya, Maryja Łucewicz- Napałkow
Coordination choir
Maryna Dashuk
Foundation Women's Choir
Marta Kuźmiak, Iwa Ostrowska, Katarzyna Koślacz
Koproduction
The Chorus of woman foundation, Warsaw / Teatr Powszechny, Warsaw / Maxim Gorki Theater, Berlin / Festival d'Avignon / Maillon, Théâtre de Strasbourg - Scène européenne / Spring Performing Arts Festival, Utrecht / Landestheater Niederosterreich und Tangente St. Pölten - Festival für Gegenwartskultur
Kooperation with
Teatr Dramatyczny / Nowy Teatr / Euro Scene Festival Leipzig / Ukrainian Institute / Foundation For Freedom, Warsaw, non-profit organization focusing on migrants from Ukraine, Chechnya, Belarus, Tajikistan etc. / "Przystanek şi", Warsaw. / "Przystanek Świetlica" - Bus stop: community center, day room for migrant children and youth Solidarity community center "Słonecznik", community center of Ukrainian artists in Warsaw / Independent funding platform Kalektar - Kalktar Org, a research platform on Belarusian contemporary art
Co-financing
City of Warschau