Year 2018
Who’s Afraid of the Wolf
At the end of 2017, Jennifer Crissey took over as leader of the seniors’ group and began working with the “Index” Theater on a new play inspired by children’s fairy tales. The story takes place during a court trial in a magical land. Judge Owl must resolve a dispute in which the Wolf is accused by the Three Little Pigs of destroying their houses for consumption purposes. During the trial, other fairy tale characters, such as Masha and the Bear and Little Red Riding Hood, appear on stage. As the story unfolds, it turns out that the Wolf is not as scary as he is portrayed, and the entire case is a big misunderstanding stemming from the Wolf’s difficult life circumstances. The play reflects the contemporary migration crisis in Europe and aims, in a humorous way, to instill ideas of tolerance and altruism in the audience.
- First performance date: April 6, 2018
- Last performance date: August 31, 2018
- Number of performances: 2
I The Best OFF – Award for Ghost Dance
In 2017, the magazine Nietak!t in collaboration with the Jerzy Grotowski Institute announced the inaugural I The Best OFF, a competition for the best independent theater production. The Brama Theater’s Ghost Dance was one of the favorites and received the title of laureate (the first prize went to Curko Moja, Ogłoś To, a monodrama by Magdalena Drab from Legnica). The prize included a performance on one of the Grotowski Institute’s stages, increased recognition that enabled the play to tour Poland, and a small lamp that lights up when switched to the “OFF” position. The jury sought to showcase the diversity of the independent theater scene in this first edition of the competition, featuring dance theater, youth theater (Tetraedr with Gwoli Jakiejś Tajemnicy, based on Gombrowicz), and more. The jury included Katarzyna Knychalska, Dariusz Kosiński, Piotr Olkusz, Piotr Cieplak, and Marcin Kęszycki.
Human Mosaic Festival
The CARAVAN NEXT project was nearing its end, with its finale scheduled to take place in Goleniów during the usual timeframe for BRAMAT. From August 24 to September 2, the Human Mosaic Festival was held, combining five elements:
- BRAMAT – featuring performances by independent theaters from Poland and abroad.
- Hunger – an annual competition for the best performances by young Polish off-theater groups.
- CARAVAN NEXT – performances created with the local Goleniów community by groups from across Europe.
- Music – concerts and musical events.
- Contact Zone – meetings, lectures, workshops, and other activities related to lifestyle, social life, and daily concerns.
Over 170 open-access events took place during the 10 festival days, featuring 400 artists from around the globe, with stages set across Goleniów and nearby villages. Around 100 organizers worked tirelessly to make it happen. It was one of the biggest events Goleniów had ever seen (comparable only to a music festival held the previous year in the Goleniów Industrial Park). The festival became affectionately known among its organizers as the “Inhuman Mosaic.” Despite the overwhelming workload, the experience brought immense satisfaction and demonstrated how a small, dedicated group could move mountains to create something extraordinary.
The Wall
The opening performance of the Human Mosaic Festival was The Wall, a community-based staging of Pink Floyd’s legendary rock opera. Preparations began six months earlier, with the music section learning the entire double album by heart. Scenes were assigned to individual members of the theater for direction. The production involved 400 participants, including local residents, festival guests, a symphony orchestra, a vocal choir, Goleniów guitarists Jarosław Chilkiewicz and Igor Gwadery, and residents of the MONAR rehabilitation center in Babigoszcz. The event attracted approximately 2,000 spectators to Primary School No. 1 in Goleniów and was likely the largest outdoor performance ever organized by Brama Theater. The Wall was named “Event of the Year 2018” by Gazeta Goleniowska.
VIII EVS
Another year brought another group of volunteers. Six individuals joined the EVS program in Goleniów:
- Antia Gonzalez (Spain, photographer, left the project prematurely).
- Katherine Mercedes Ticcla (Peru, talented artist).
- Evanthia Athanasiadi (Greece, trained actress and theater pedagogue).
- Garazi Moreno Martinez (Spain, actress and the quietest member of the group).
- Nerea Rodriguez (Spain, photographer, who joined after Human Mosaic and brought positive energy).
- Antony Egidio Risi (Italy, actor and graphic designer, yoga enthusiast, and, upon arriving in Poland… bald).
Although this group did not produce a play, they conducted workshops in schools for children and collectively prepared Kino Brama, a small cinema housed in the old ticket office at the amphitheater during BRAMAT 2019, showcasing old and new films about Brama Theater. Katherine and Antony collaborated on an art exhibition in the Goleniów library, and Antony painted two murals – one inside the amphitheater and another on the Goleniów Cultural Center.
Brama Theater in Australia
As part of the CARAVAN NEXT project, a conference was held in Australia, facilitated by Jennifer Crissey. Connections were established with Chrisjohn Hancock, director of Lieder Theatre, Australia’s oldest continuously operating theater group (since 1891). Following Human Mosaic, a delegation consisting of Daniel Jacewicz, Patryk Bednarski, Jennifer Crissey, and Aleksandra Ślusarczyk traveled to Australia. They collaborated with Lieder Theatre to create Periphery, incorporating elements of Fakeryzm. Along the way, the group also visited Malaysia and New Zealand. In Australia, Ghost Dance was performed, drawing parallels to the experiences of Aboriginal communities and featuring Australian actors and musicians.
Statistics
Events (performances and concerts by Brama Theater):
- Performances: 41
- Zabawa: 5
- Fakeryzm: 1
- Ghost Dance: 18
- Who’s Afraid of the Wolf: 2
- Other: 15
- Concerts: 10 (including 3 dances)
- Other events: 5