OPHELIAS by Zorka Wollny

Ophelias. Iconography of Madness

website for a project by Zorka Wollny

Concept

On the occasion of the release of the film Ophelias. Iconography of Madness—a complete record of the performance from 2012, I asked the actresses who participated in the spectacle about their perspectives not only concerning the work that we created together, but more broadly—on “being” in theatre and the theatre institution in the social and political context.

In these conversations theatre is defined as a ritual (Anna Ilczuk), mystery (Małgorzata Rudzka), a comfortable space to escape life (Marta Kalmus) or, quite the opposite, a place of confrontation with the most difficult problems of the external world (Elzbieta Karkoszka) and a place that reveals both the bright and the grim aspects of creative work, the limitations that hamper one’s own development, social insensitivity and structures of power.

The multiplicity of stories, feelings and opinions expressed by my interlocutors, complemented by four critical texts that comment on the project, depicts a broad spectrum of approaches and experiences, providing material for discussion on the shape and role of theatre in today’s society in Poland.

Colophon