ZAMEK Culture Centre

“They serve upbringing and education. Help one to achieve autonomy, develop a sense of own worth, self-integration and ability to sustain meaningful and lasting bonds with others. They help one to become the master of their own face.” This is how Danuta Danek wrote about the power of fairy tales in the afterword to the Polish edition of Bruno Bettelheim’s  The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. The thing we are interested in the most in fairy tales is that one has to tell them. They have to be told and listened to. The storyteller and the listener have to remain in a lively, attentive, emotional rapport. This is requisite in order to get to know oneself—without it, one cannot get to know the other. Do enter into the magical circle of storytellers and listeners! Follow the actors of Teatr pod Fontanną into the world of Brothers Grimm fairy tales.

„Grimm” is based on the extensive collection entitled Bracia Grimm. Wszystkie baśnie i legendy (translated by Rozalia Skiba, publishing house: Wydawnictwo REA). The authors chose a few of the less known tales in which a humorous story, interspersed with moments of horror and cruelty, culminates in a moral. The task which the director set the performers was to keep a good and compelling story going. The original plot does not have to be reproduced word by word; the impor­tant thing is to make its colour and meaning inte­resting for the listeners, so that both the storyteller and their audience remain in a lively, attentive, and emotional contact. In the several scenes, the actors and actresses tell the tales to one another, asking about the details, responding with laughter or surprise. The intriguing music, ascetic stage design and specially prepared video projections create the atmosphere of the piece, which enables one to enter the singular reality of the world of Brothers Grimm.

premiere: October 9th, 2019

TEATR POD FONTANNĄ is an informal group created in 2016 as part of the Common Theatre programme. It is composed of people attending theatre studios at two centres run by the Association of Persons and Families for Mental Health Zrozumieć i Pomóc, which works towards social and vocational rehabilitation of persons who have been affected by a mental crisis. TEATR POD FONTANNĄ can boast four performances developed year after year in the course of the project, all of which have been splendidly received by the critics and the audience.

Responsible for artistic supervision is Janusz Stolarski, a direc­tor and actor with extensive experience acquired in both traditional and fringe theatres. Stolarski is a master of monodrama, creator of one-person performances which won awards and honorary men­tions at a number of competitions and international festivals.

Working on the premieres of TEATR POD FONTANNĄ, the director invites the collaboration of musicians and stage designers whose contribution guarantees that the desired effect is achieved.

Performance is a part of the COMMON THEATRE - authorial performative project realize by Zamek Culture Centre in Poznan, which brings us performances created by people from milieus facing social or disability-related exclusion. The eponymous “commonness” denotes first and foremost the universal need to find oneself in a creative process. It is also a token of our intentions and efforts to make theatre created by the disabled or persons facing social exclusion a fully-fledged artistic phenomenon.

The performances are also accompanied by educational activities and workshops. COMMON THEATRE aspires for an equally powerful effect on the active participants and the audience alike. The effort of overcoming barriers and stereotypes should be made by both.