The Kana Theatre was established in 1979, by Zygmunt Duczyński (died 15.03.06.). Starting as a students theatre, it gradually gained artistic maturity and organisational independence. The breakthrough in the theatre’s history was two performances: “MoscowPetushki” (1989) and “Night” (1993), based on V. Erofeev – both were presented many times on reputable stages in Europe and America, and got enthusiastic reviews in such magazines, as “The Times”, “Los Angeles Times”, “Los Angeles Weekly”, “The Scotsman”, “Backstage”, and many others. In 1994 “Night” gained the First Fringe and the Critics Award at the World Festival of Art in Edinburgh. In 1995 the City Mayor prized Zygmunt Duczynski and the Kana Theatre with the City of Szczecin Artistic Award for the year 1994 in recognition of their artistic output and activities enriching cultural life of Szczecin. The group performed many times in all major cities of Poland and took part in all important festivals of alternative theatres and art festivals (among others, The International “Malta” Festival in Poznan, The Bialystok Days of Contemporary Art, The International Festival of Jewish Culture in Krakow, The International Festival “Reminiscencje” in Krakow, The “Theatrical Confrontations” Festival in Lublin). Pieces inspired by V. Erofeev were presented three times at The World Festival of Art in Edinburgh (in 1995 as a honorary guest), as well as in Nitra (Slovakia), Moscow, Amsterdam, Berlin, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Santa Ana, Pasadena, San Diego, San Francisco (USA), Cheltenham College (UK), and London (opening of the Festival of Visual Theatre in 1995), among others. Most important performances of the Kana Theatre: Być [To Be] – 1978, Spektakl [Performance] – 1979, Abbadon [Abbadon] – 1981, Księga o życiu i śmierci i twórczości Osipa Mandelsztama [The Book of Life and Dearth and Art of Osip Mandelstam] – 1982, Krótka historia Europy [A Short History of Europe] – 1983, Droga [The Way] – 1984, Czarne światła [The Black Lights] – 1985, Bezsenność [Insomnia] – 1987, Moskwa–Pietuszki [Moscow-Petushki] – 1989, Noc [Night] – 1993, Szlifierze nocnych diamentów [Polishers of Night Diamonds] – 1996, Ja, Henryk Bilke [Me, Henryk Bilke] – 2000, J.P odkrywa Amerykę [J.P. Discovers America] – 2000, Rajski Ptak [Bird of Paradise] – 2000 (Main Award of the Festival of One-man Shows in Stara Prochoffnia, Warsaw, 2003), Miłość Fedry [Phaedra’s Love] – 2002, Widmokrąg [Circle of Spectres] – 2003, 2004 Artistic team in season 2004/2005: Bibianna Chimiak, Marta Giers, Karolina Sabat, Tomasz Grygier, Dariusz Mikula, Waldemar Nicek, Dobiesław Nowicki, Hubert Romanowski, Piotr Starzynski Co-operators:Arkadiusz Buszko, Slawoj Golanski, Zbigniew Szmatloch Headmasters of the Kana Theatre: Head of the Theatre Kana Association: Dariusz Mikula Literary department, organisation of artistic events: Weronika Fibich-Foremska, Marta Mikula, Janusz Turkowski, Bibianna Chimiak Technical management: Tomasz Grygier, Dobieslaw Nowicki Administration: Dariusz Mikula, Anna Pazik Manager of the theatrical club: Maciej Szwarc
Since its beginnings the Kana Theatre has not been limited to productions and presentations of own performances, but has been involved in variety of cultural activities. In 1991 the Kana Theatre Association was founded, and in 1994, thanks to the building received from the City of Szczecin, the Theatrical Centre was established, today an important centre of alternative culture, realising about eighty artistic events annually. Besides presentations of performances of the Kana Theatre and invited theatrical groups, the Centre organises big international festivals and regular meetings devoted to most important phenomena of contemporary culture. Seminars, discussions, exhibitions, concerts, film presentations, and workshops led by prominent artists – all these elements contribute to creation of intensive, full meeting with art and people. Performances and other artistic activities of the Kana Theatre are closely related with foundations and system of work of the artistic group associated with the Centre.
Most important projects accomplished by the Kana Theatre:
International Street Artists Festival The Festival has been organised since 1999. During its five editions several hundreds of artists from all over the world were presented in Szczecin, mainly from Europe (Norway, Italy, Germany, Spain, Russia, Great Britain), but also from the United States and Australia, and even representing such exotic countries as India or Kyrgyzstan. There were also reputable Polish groups, among others: Teatr Osmego Dnia, Teatr Biuro Podrozy, Teatr Strefa Ciszy. Open character of the Festival makes it the unique open-air celebration of art in many forms: theatre (performances, street actions, busking), music (open-air evening concerts of classical and world music, jazz, folk, as well as hip-hop, electronic/experimental music), visual arts (exhibitions and artistic actions of the students of The Szczecin’s High School of Applied Art; photography/film exhibitions and workshops). The Festival is also an element of year-long programme of art-therapy for drug addicted youth (annual performance prepared under the guidance of the Kana Theatre actors) and an attempt of finding identity of the Szczecin city space (special artistic projects concerning “forgotten places” – discovering “the traces of memory”). Three-day festival, taking place in July, includes about thirty artistic events gathering approximately eight thousand spectators. …multicoloured offer dominated by spectacular open-air performances combining various genres of art, attractive theatrical experiments and all forms of creative dealing with “city moods”.
(Kurier Szczecinski # 120)
The Street Artists Festival is an opportunity that should not be wasted. For many habitants of Szczecin it is the only chance to meet living spectacular art of centuries-long traditions, and developing beautifully in the world today. For the city it is an injection of creative energy, a paint added to a colourless offer for summer tourists. Present form of the festival, based on theatre and music, neglecting buskers, is sometimes criticised. It is said that the Festival should return in the streets. I disagree. The present form, combined with constant discovering and adapting “magical places” of the city (the castle and its surroundings, parks), seems to be the best for Szczecin. Crowds of people, usually but not only youngsters, enjoyed this celebration of art till late of night, proving that the city needs such an event as it needs fresh air.
(Kurier Szczecinski # 134)
OKNO [WINDOW] – International Meetings of Young Theatre
Annual three or four day theatrical and musical festival promoting artistic searching of young alternative groups. Among the theatres performing at OKNO there were: Teatr Porywaczy Ciał, Teatr Usta Usta, Teatr Cosmino, Biuro Poszukiwan Teatralnych, Teatr Miedzymiastowa, Teatr 36 zl, Teatr Stajnia Pegaza, Muflarz, Compania Banda Oszustów, Chóry Gertrudy Stein, Be van Vark, Oval & So, Johannes Bergmark, Potemkin Express, Su-en, Alcalica, and many others. OKNO is a proposition attracting the audience, journalists and organisers of other theatrical festivals from all over Poland. They are astonished by richness and variety of the programme, including seminars, film presentations, theatrical workshops, as well as performances of excellent artists of various fields (theatrical performances, concerts, exhibitions, etc.), and representing many countries (Germany, Sweden, Norway, France, Greece, Great Britain, Japan). The Festival is one of the biggest events devoted to presentation of young art organised in Poland. Since several years editions of the festival have been built around one topic (dance, performance, anti-consumerism, multimedia, etc). We always tried to “open the window” to integrate young artists, to lead them to meeting of various forms of theatrical and semi-theatrical expression. We are glad that our idea of the Meeting, that initially had been realised on a simple stage by a few local theatrical groups, has been taken by so many of our partners that came also from afar. We hope that this project, along with others, will help Szczecin to be identified soon as a place of meetings and confrontations of valuable and unique projects of young generation of European artists.
Zygmunt Duczynski and Janusz Turkowski
“Art as Drug” – a project of art–therapy of drug addict youth
Since 1994 the Kana Theatre Association has been closely co-operating with the Monar Association (an organisation providing a path of recovery for young addicts of hard drugs), when he the idea of a year-long project titled “Transformatorownia”, including the cycle of theatrical, musical and fine art workshops for drug addict youth was conceived. The project initiated a long term co-operation of both centres. The Monar’s patients have been often invited to take active part in artistic projects realised in the Kana Theatre. In spring 2003 socalled “artistic weekends” were initiated. Among the participants were the Kana Theatre, Teatr Strefa Ciszy, Dikanda folk band, a band of drummers, Szczecin-based jazzmen, and two artists of Japanese Butoh Dance Theatre, Daisuke Yoshimoto and Atsushi Takenouchi. It provided the foundations for the art-therapy programme, realised in an annual cycle as “Art as Drug” Project. The programme is based of regular meetings the youth in the Monar centre in Babigoszcz, including artistic workshops and presentations of theatre, music and visual arts. The annual cycle includes also two big presentations (in March and June, at the Festival of
Street Artists), as well as two international workshops based on co-operation with similar centres in other countries.
Art–therapy is being realised in Babigoszcz for a long time. Many prominent Polish and foreign artists have been invited to co-operation, common actions, projects and workshops. The aim is plain: seeking alternative for drugs and establishing conditions for self-development. . . . Bold ideas of a programme of year-long “artistic therapy” named “Art. as Drug” are surely more interesting than drugs. Drugs kill, art cures and stimulates development. Good art.
Marek Osajda, Kurier Szczecinski # 142
Contact: Kana Theatre Association University of Szczecin pl. Ssw. Piotra i Pawla 4/5 70-521 Szczecin Poland tel. ++91 4330388/ tel. fax. ++48 91 4341561 e-mail info@kana.art.pl web page www.kana.art.pl