Nobody else but people! "Cyberiada"
All news
POLSKI
1
26. 02. 2015. Department
Acting

Tomorrow, for the first time we set out for the Universe! Stanisław Lem’s "Cyberiada", in the form of a musical directed by Wojciech Kościelniak and performed by acting students, awaits!

‘They are fantastic people. I came here. I looked into their eyes and knew I didn’t want to choose just a few, I wanted them all. They’re very keen on acting and it’s an adventure for all of us, and where there is adventure there’s a chance for interesting theatre’ says Wojciech Kościelniak, the outstanding musical director, who directed Stanisław Lem’s "Cyberiadę" (a collection of science fiction short stories) for the stage. ‘It was our dream to work with the master of Polish musicals, Wojciech Kościelniak. We are happy that all the students in our year have this opportunity.’ says Barbara Wypych, who has been cast in the role of Trurl.

"Cyberiada" is a story which depicts intelligent robots who are almost human like. They are built of atributes chich originated through the technological developments of the 60s such as diodes, tetrodes, electrons, cables, metal, capacitors, coils etc.’ says the director . ‘Using cheeky, light, sparkly music and dynamic choreography, it’s possibile to build a stage narration, well-received and appreciated by contemporary theatre audiences.

The students stress that working with Wojciech Kościelniak cannot be underestimated. ‘He wants the actors to feel happy on stage while acting. He keeps repeating these words to us. Although he is an authority in the world of musical, he takes our opinions and suggestions into consideration and respects our objections.’ says the director’s assistant, Karolina Krawczyńska, who is also in the role of the Machine’s brain on stage. Wojciech Kościelniak has directed, among others, musical adaptations of e.g. Bolesław Prus’ ‘The Doll’ at the Music Theatre in Gdynia, Władysław Reymont’s ‘Promised Land’ at the Słowacki Theatre in Cracow, Fiodor Dostojewski’s – ‘Idiot’ at the Capitol Music Theatre in Wrocław as well as classical musicals such as Leonard Bernstein’s ‘West Side Story’, Galt MacDermot’s ‘Hair’ (at the Music Theatre in Gdynia) and a trans-opera based on Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ with music by Leszek Możdżer.

The fourth-year acting students who appear on stage of the Studyjny Theatre are: Adrian Budakow, Paulina Nadel, Karolina Krawczyńska, Maria Szafirska, Grzegorz Otrębski, Michał Jóźwik, Sebastian Jasnoch, Barbara Wypych, Jędrzej Wielecki, Sylwia Madejska, Alicja Juszkiewicz, Marta Herman, Kaja Walden, Marcin Miodek, Mikołaj Chroboczek, Damian Kret and Anita Tomczak. The music was composed by Marcin Steczkowski and lyrics were written by Rafał Dziwisz. Adam Rymarz was responsible for the vocal side of the musical. Choreography by Jarosława Stańka. Art Direction by Damian Styrna. ‘We are setting out for the universe, prepared for anything: loneliness, fight, martyrdom and death. Out of modesty we do not say it loudly, but sometimes we think that we are amazing. Whereas our readiness is just a sham. We do not want to reach the universe, we just want to expand the earth up to the universe. Some planets should be deserts like the Sahara, others full of ice like the poles, and others tropical like the Brazilian jungle. We are not looking for anyboby else but humans. We do not need other worlds. We need mirror reflections. We visit a planet where a famous robot, Trurl Constructor builds a machine which can make everything starting with the letter ‘n’. On a different planet, we struggle to make two times two not equal seven … "

The pre-premiere performance of the musical is this Friday, 27 February, at the Studyjny Theatre. The premiere has been scheduled for April.

Studyjny Theatre repertoire available at: www.teatrstudyjny.lodz.pl. photo: Michał Siarek