Bridging the cultural gap

With performances such as Sławomir Mrożek's The Party or The Emigrants, the Montownia Theater, one of Warsaw's leading independent theaters - in collaboration with the Globe Theater Group - is drawing the curtain on its English stage.

"Analyzing the theatrical life of Warsaw, the Montownia team noticed that the capital city lacked stages offering a repertoire for foreigners. Warsaw, as a dynamically developing city with a large number of expats, can only offer opera, ballet and symphony. Why can't people who don't speak Polish learn about our culture through theater? Polish playwrights such as Mrożek, Gombrowicz and Głowacki are recognized abroad," says Rafał Rutkowski, an actor from the Montownia.

The 'English Stage' team will concentrate on Polish and classic works in order to familiarize foreigners with Polish literature. They will also stage the performances abroad. The team plans to collaborate with other mixed groups (Polish and foreign) on additional common international projects.

The premiere of The Party took place at the end of last year and performances are still on. Now the team is working on The Emigrants, whose premiere is scheduled for this March. Rehearsals with the British actors will take place in London and will be moved to Warsaw in the last phase.

The Montownia Theater also plans to invite other troupes from abroad. Last week it hosted a group of Korean actors who performed Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters, directed by Hyoung-Taek Limb. His interpretation of Chekhov's play, entitled Three Sisters - Lost in Time, involves only six characters and is set in a suburban town in 1930s Korea.

For further details see www.montownia.art.pl