We will see an adaptation of a play by Roland Schimmelpfennig. The original is set on Greifswalder Straße, a street located in East Berlin. The story revolves around coincidences that may seem planned and only create the illusion of chaos. It delves into the lives of different, more or less successful people who cross paths every day on the same street. Above all, it would be about emotions if the characters could express and talk about them.

A story sbout a certain Berlin street that has universal resonance.

As part of Night of Culture, the Workshop Theatre will showcase an open rehearsal of the play “The Street” by Roland Schimmelpfennig, performed by young participants of theatrr workshops organised by Workshops of Culture in Lublin. This work in progress involves actors embodying characters and exploring their relationships through both words and physical expression. The performance takes place on a specially designed stage with actors in costumes and props. Unlike a traditional stage production, this presentation is an ongoing work that continues to develop beyond the show. It provides a unique opportunity to witness young actors deeply immersed in the process of creating their characters.  Due to the limited duration of the project, the format of this presentation was chosen to prioritise the educational nature of  the endeavour.

Working with text provided a valuable opportunity for participants to acquire fundamental acting skills. They were introduced to various techniques for developing their characters and collaborating with their scene partners. An in-depth analysis of the text played a crucial role, exploring character biographies, relationships, and the context of the time and place in which the story is set. The selected text , written by a contemporary German author, presents glimpses into the lives of residents on a specific street in Berlin through a slideshow-like narrative.

The eponymous street, Greifswalder Strasse in the original work, is located in East Berlin, the former capital of the German Democratic Republic. The story takes place years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, portraying the significant transformations that have occurred and the traces of the past that still remain.The story revolves around coincidences that may seem planned and only create the illusion of chaos. It delves into the lives of different, more or less successful people who cross paths every day on the same street. Above all, it would be about emotions if the characters could express and talk about them. However, it aappears the characters lack the right words and motivation to express themselves. Fear of emotions, intimacy, and the future coupled with a strong desire to feel something and a hidden hope for happiness, bring them emotional turmoil.

This is not the only paradox in this play. As day and night progress, themes interweave in both real and metaphysical planes. The play also explores themes of societal change and the passage of time, the decline of the old and the emergence of the new. Although rooted in a specific location, the text has universal resonance.

The audience in Lublin will  relate to the historical intricacies presented in the play, with as much ease as they navigate the winding streets of the Old Town, sometimes taking the wrong path or pausing to consider the best route. Our play is not a dry recitation of a dramatic work, but a vivid portrayal of characters and their emotions.

The visual aspect of the play is also significant, as it corresponds to the entire narrative and invites the audience to the streets of the Old Town, specifically one of its courtyards, which serves as the natural backdrop for the performance.

This enables the audience to immerse themselves in the play’s atmosphere and grasp its universal message, which also resonates with Lublin.l.

The play explores a range of themes, such as pre-war forgotten objects, and old photographs, which may be familiar to the audience. Following the principles of site-specific art, the natural setting of the story inspires the staging of the performance, with certain elements of the stage design symbolically representing the location where a particular scene takes place. The actors will briefly inhabit these corners to tell the story of a certain Berlin street, a story that could happen anywhere. The entire project has an integrative character, bringing together the participating young performers, Lublin residents, and visitors attending the event as spectators. The theatre takes to the streets, aligning with the concept of  Night of Culture.

Arkadiusz Ziętek – director
Alena Hrybianchuk – set design and costumes
Performed by Polish and Ukrainian youth from Lublin, aged 15-25
Guest appearance: Dariusz Jeż
The Workshops’ Theatre’s play  “Ulica” (The Street) is a project implemented thanks to the support of the Foundation for German-Polish Cooperation. The project is under the patronage of the Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in Lublin.

Cast

Man In Bathrobe – Dariusz Jeż
Rudolf – Karol Mazurek
Green-Eyed Woman 1 (Tanja) – Julieta Kai Adwin Bartoszewskx
Green-Eyed Woman 2 (Natalie) – Miriam Jerczyńska
Influencer (death) – Lena Bielecka
Punk – Filip Musiałowski
Kaśka – Aleksandra Najda
Simona – Mariia Dyshleva
Majka (giraffe) – Lena Jungowska
Hanka – Patrycja Niedziółka
Kika – Aleksandra Ruda
Cashier 1 – Julia Bręk
Cashier 2 – Konstancja Gadomska
Cashier 3/Man In Bathrobe’s Daughter – Martyna Kapka
Photographer (Barbórka) – Zofia Jaruga
Worker 1 – Franciszek Kamieniecki
Worker 2 – Stanisław Kwiatkowski
Worker 3 – Kubi
Man With Carriage – Daniel Grabowski
Hans – Miłosz Zieliński
Hans’ Wife – Wiktoria Vic Kostecka
Fryderyka – Aleksandra Łopucka
Man In a Club – Jakub Błaszczak
Narrator/Reporter 1 – Patrycja Machoń
Narrator/Reporter 2 – Karolina Lily Nowakowska

Details

When: 3 June, 21.00-22.00
Where: The House of Words, Królewska 17
Admission free