Genet's pair of premieres

The Maids, Słowacki Theater, Kraków

Jean Genet's The Maids has premiered at the Słowacki Theater in Kraków. The play is about two maids who conspire to murder their female employer, and falls in line with Genet's general philosophy, which aimed to  ennoble the criminal and claimed that morality is a contention that the majority superimpose upon the minority.

Genet, a famed homosexual prostitute, was sentenced to life imprisonment after a string of robberies spanning the majority of his life. He was shown clemency by the President of France upon receiving the support of Jean Paul Sartre.

Later in his life, Genet spent time embedded with the Palestinian Liberation Organization and also supported the radical Black Panthers group. His plays, which often deal with the downtrodden and forgotten, attempt to portray traditional morality as a cruel veil of sadistic torment imposed upon those who are different, under the guise of virtue. The Maids is a classic in the genre.

The Screens, Wybrzeże Theater, Gdańsk

Jean Genet's The Screens had its premiere at the Wybrzeże Theater in Gdańsk on Feburary 2. The play, originally written about the French-Algerian war, serves as a commentary on the current War on Terror.

Amongst the many themes of Genet's play, the Wybrzeże Theater is intent on highlighting the French philosopher's teaching of moral equivalence, which aims to demonstrate the absurdity of war, and the corruption of both Western and Muslim culture alike.