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ABOUT ME
I am a stage director, culture and literature expert, an educator. I direct theater shows, video arts, movies and radio dramas.
I completed my education in the best Polish schools: The Aleksander Zelwerowicz Theater Academy, Jagiellonian University, Warsaw School of Economics.
My favourite poetic language is magical realism. I try to see ordinary things and processes in unusual way and I believe that supernatural phenomena are part of our world and reality. My type of imagination draws from primitive mentality, folk legends of the mountains region I come from. I grew up surrounded by marvelous reality and in most of my projects there are glimpses of supernatural things.
For my plays and films, I choose privileged moments and extraordinary experiences. I show relation and tension between individual and collective memory/history/psychology. I try to find a connection between history of individual citizens and history of nation. Therefore, my narration usually moves from wide to narrow perspective.
INTERESTS
Psychology
Psychology. Wide knowledge about human psychology: motivations, determinants or inner processes is first and the most important condition of building a convincing world on the stage. Psychoanalysis is a very important and useful tool to interpreting and understanding choices and life paths of characters. Then, the first step is figuring out what is typical, usual and easy to understand. The second step is establishing what is particular and individual for each human being. In this way I support my actors and they can build interesting and deep roles.
Magical realism
Magical realism is a narrative strategy that invites magic and supernatural elements into realistic world. It is not fantasy nor since fiction as magical realism originates from and belongs to realistic world and has the same status. I deeply believe in spirituality and magical realism is one of the way how spiritual world can manifest. In my performances, characters often can see what for others is hidden or some mysterious and hidden powers influence their lives. I have chosen a point of view that there is something beyond our world and I try to convince the auditorium that miracles do happen. This sort of theater is a source of hope and positive thinking.
Physical theater
Physical theater. I always try to find the best possible metaphor to show people's attitude, relationships, connections. Sometimes our emotions are difficult to express in verbal way, which is why I create with my actors choreographies that open energy exchange with auditorium.
PHILOSOPHY
The most difficult challenge for a human is their approach to death. In my works, I follow possible ways of understanding this process but I also explore our connections with past and our protoplasts.
Post-memory in a world after two world wars and just before the third one is one of the more important mechanisms to understand construction of our world - in micro and macro scale.
I see a human being in a very wide perspective and through my shows I try to reduce the fear of death but also (sic!) the fear of life in the spectator.
The most important aspect of every project is meeting: meeting others, meeting the author of the drama, meeting new opinions, meeting another culture.
As Jacques Derrida claimed - meeting the Other is the most important part of forming our identity - because when we meet the Other we can tell where our ego starts and where it ends. I would like to expand this idea - yes - we confirm our identity, but also - especially during artistic cooperation, every meeting changes something in our souls and energy.
Method
Building on my previous experiences, I developed my own work method based on works of Stanislavski, Spolin and Grotowski. I lead actors safely thorough process of understanding the drama or problem but I also give them space to build their own creation. I use improvisation and a lot of exercise to develop actors' imagination and build a common energy in team. With my fellow artists, I try to go deep into the structure of the analyzed subject and then we search for the best possible way to express our statements.
CURRENT MISSION
I would like to connect my experiences and knowledge and direct shows in my country but also in different cultures.
I would like to work with the camcorder as much as possible.
I would like to direct myfirst feature film.
I would like to direct a series based on a good script.
I would like to work more than I currently doin the audio recording industry.
I would like to direct a large-stage performance.
I would like to direct musical forms of drama.