Year 2008

“When the Dead Awakes”

In 2008, Teatr Brama traveled to Norway for a month at the invitation of Stella Polaris Theatre. The reason for the visit was participation in the project “When the Dead Awakes.” Daniel had previously met Per Spildra Borg, Stella’s director, during the Spoiwa Kultury Festival in Szczecin. Shortly after the festival, Brama hosted its annual residency in Strzelewo, where Per was invited. Enthralled by the group’s boundless energy, he decided to include them in his new project.

This outdoor performance, inspired by rituals rooted in ancient Viking culture, was staged in Borre, at Viking burial mounds, and later in Szczecin with a different cast. Three years later, Brama returned to Norway to reprise the performance.
References: Archive/Brama Lab/[2008] When the Dead Awakes

The Station of Memories

Teatr Brama maintained strong ties with Goleniów—most of its actors originated there, and the town remained the theater’s home despite the challenges of the past two years. The idea arose to create a Polish-German collaborative performance telling stories from the end of World War II—stories of displaced persons moving to and from Goleniów.

The premiere was scheduled for the 11th BRAMAT festival, held again in Goleniów, this time at the Rampa Music Club. The club, owned by Brama’s friend Andrzej Buła, was located in a pre-war railway ramp near Goleniów’s train station.

Like the Evenings of Actor’s Song, the performance was a community event. In addition to Brama’s actors, it involved local residents who had moved to Goleniów between 1945 and 1950, as well as their families, sharing their stories and even performing.

The production was designed to immerse the audience in the experience of a displaced person—be it Polish, German, or someone from any other part of the world—evoking the emotions of leaving one’s home and stepping into the unknown.

The audience was greeted by a German officer instructing them to fill out documents, stamp them, and move on. At the “station,” people searched for loved ones and waited for trains. Stories were shared by people traveling in freight cars—tales of human drama, uncertainty, and life-changing moments.

The performance deeply moved the audience and was staged two more times around Poland’s Independence Day. Key contributors to this event included Mariusz Tarnożek and Michał Krzywaźnia, then vice-president of the association and now the director of the W Krzywym Zwierciadle Theater in Stepnica.

The spirit of this project is reflected in the words of Feliksa Żukowska, a late Goleniów resident, who told Daniel:
“Daniel, let me tell you something—my whole life passed on these tracks. I will never come to terms with where I came from or where I am… The graves of my parents are in Ukraine, the graves of my children are here. My entire life is like this—on the tracks.”

The 9th BRAMAT Festival

After a hiatus, BRAMAT returned to Goleniów. One thing was clear: BRAMAT deeply valued its connection to Goleniów, a bond that would never be broken. The festival’s unique atmosphere, created by the local people—both organizers and audience members—was unmatched elsewhere.

The festival program included The Station of Memories and two other Brama productions: My and Zapiski Oficera Armii Czerwonej. Additionally, Michał Krzywaźnia presented the first production of his W Krzywym Zwierciadle Theater, Co z tym człowiekiem, and Teatr Krzyk performed a preview of Wydech. Other featured artists included Arti Grabowski and Grażyna Tabor from Teatr Tetraedr in Racibórz, long-time friends of Brama.

While this wasn’t a permanent return, it became evident how important Brama was to Goleniów—and Goleniów to Brama.

“My” at the Łódź Theater Meetings

For many years, the Łódź Theater Meetings were the most important festival for independent theater in Poland. Productions that won this festival represented the pinnacle of alternative theatrical art in the country.

Teatr Brama achieved this distinction in 2008, when its performance of My (the group’s first fully original production) won the competition’s top award. My received several other honors, but this was the most significant in the production’s history and one of Brama’s most important awards.

It’s worth noting that another performance involving Daniel Jacewicz also received an equal award that year. As part of Pracownia Prowincja, led by Tadeusz Rybicki from Teatr Cinema, they presented Podróże dookoła pokoju stołowego (Travels Around the Dining Room Table).

Statistics for 2008:

• Events: 49
  • Performances: 30
    • My: 19
    • Zapiski Oficera Armii Czerwonej: 5
    • The Station of Memories: 3
    • When the Dead Awakes: 3
    • Other: 8
  • Concerts: 10
  • Other: 1