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Year 2014

Year 2014

The Waiting Room

The Youth Group of the Theatre, despite three years of activity, lacked a distinct identity. Those who joined shortly after Brama returned to Goleniów participated in the play Waves and tended to associate with the “veteran” team, who still remembered Silver Mountain. When Daniel returned after a six-month absence, he decided to invest in the Youth Group, but with a completely different approach—avoiding deep emotional involvement. While this had greatly benefited young people, it had been incredibly draining for the director himself. The first project by the “Young Brama,” as they were called, was The Waiting Room. A festival program folder describes the performance as follows:

“The play The Waiting Room is the result of work by yet another group formed during workshops regularly held by Theatre Brama in Goleniów. It marks the stage debut of a new generation of artists discovering their passion for working with others and challenging societal norms. The performance reflects on today’s youth. The term ‘waiting room’ refers not only to a physical space where young people meet while waiting for a train but also becomes a symbol of various other situations. The waiting room becomes a metaphor for adolescence—a time when teenagers are on the brink of deciding their futures (work, identity, beliefs…). They are in the ‘waiting room of adulthood.’ It is unclear whether this waiting must remain passive. Is there a chance for a creative attitude that shapes the personality and character of a young person? This is also a theatrical experience for a group of young people maturing into their stage debut. Finally, it is a manifesto of youth and naivety, urging us to view life with our hearts rather than our minds.”

This production marked the stage debut of Aleksandra Ślusarczyk, who would, in the coming years, become one of the Theatre’s most important members—not only artistically but also operationally, excelling in event coordination and managing national and international projects.

  • First Performance Date: March 15, 2014
  • Last Performance Date: July 10, 2015
  • Number of Performances: 18

III EVS

In 2013, Theatre Brama participated for the third time in the European Voluntary Service (EVS) program, hosting two volunteers for a year: Oleh Nesterov, a Ukrainian acting school graduate, and Francesco Lucio Pileggi from Italy. After the project, Oleh stayed in Goleniów and worked with Brama until 2019. Lucio, meanwhile, embarked on a journey to find his place in the world, traveling to South America and Bulgaria before returning in 2017 and collaborating with Brama for two more years.

V Hunger for Art Festival

These were my first Hunger for Art (Łaknienia) festival experiences. We opened the event with our new youth group play, The Waiting Room. Performing for the Hunger audience—our theatre peers from all over Poland—was daunting. I remember Jenny coming up with a “zombie”-style street action: a small parade from the Cultural Center to the amphitheater. Along the way, young children cried on the streets, frightened by our painted faces and torn clothes. Many young people attended the festival, including my peers from Goleniów. Some of them decided to join the Theatre after Hunger. Evenings were filled with post-performance bonfires and dancing in the hall.

I recall those first Hunger festivals as something significant that I didn’t yet understand—a fascinating beginning. Observing the preparations for the festival later inspired my deeper involvement with Brama.
(Aleksandra Ślusarczyk, August 28, 2020)

The value of Hunger for Art lay in providing a testing ground for new generations. Over time, I didn’t need to interfere. I watched from a distance as the youth learned resourcefulness, cultural organization, and how to host invited artists in Goleniów.
(Daniel Jacewicz, August 28, 2020)

Four Forged Aces

Four Forged Aces was a notable experiment in Brama’s modern history—a return to drama and its adaptation, resembling an actor’s exercise and skill-building, much like the play Jubilee. The cast, consisting of Patryk Bednarski, Lucio Pileggi, Sylwester Bińko, and (in drag) Oleh Nesterov, created a charming comedy based on a script by Szczecin writer Sylvia A. Perl.

While the play’s humor resonated with the local audience, some in the off-theatre community expressed disdain. Daniel, confident in his vision, paid no attention to such opinions: not every piece needs to be a soul-wrenching, lofty, or somber manifesto. After all, the symbol of the Theatre includes both a sad mask and a joyful one. The production was a tribute to Goleniów’s audience.

  • First Performance Date: May 24, 2014
  • Last Performance Date: June 7, 2015
  • Number of Performances: 17

Windows

Windows was the first production born out of Daniel Jacewicz’s collaboration with Theatre Index, created for Goleniów’s University of the Third Age. Like Four Forged Aces, it was based on a script by Sylvia A. Perl.

The play depicted Poland’s infamous “neighborhood surveillance groups”—elderly women monitoring their surroundings from their apartment windows. An invitation to the premiere read:
“Everyone has their own windows, and everyone looking through them is entitled to see something entirely different. […] This amusing yet thought-provoking play by Sylvia A. Perl attempts to expose human weaknesses and convictions while highlighting essential aspects of social life: morality, social sensitivity, respect, and freedom of choice. Windows is an intriguing offering for those who value humor in theatre alongside opportunities to reflect on human reactions, contradictions, and antagonisms.”

  • First Performance Date: June 21, 2014
  • Last Performance Date: June 6, 2015
  • Number of Performances: 4

IV EVS

For the first and only time, the 2014 EVS project included four volunteers: Anastasiia Medvedieva from Ukraine (who later managed Brama’s children’s group and still resides in Poland, though no longer part of the Theatre), Nina Khyzna (a friend of Nastia and Oleh Nesterov, the previous year’s volunteer), Felix Meusel from Germany (who became a father during the project), and Anna Bardaka from Greece (a talented photographer and filmmaker).

All of them performed in The Confessions of a Masochist, which premiered at the end of the year. Additionally, Anna directed a series of short documentary films about Theatre Brama.

Statistics

Events: 53

  • Performances: 50
    • Waves – 12
    • The Waiting Room – 15
    • Four Forged Aces – 8
    • Vova – 3
    • The Confessions of a Masochist – 4
    • Windows – 3
    • Other – 5
  • Other Events: 3