Halfway through the festival, there was a meeting with the Jury members who, as every year, shared with the audience not only their impressions, but also advice on how to persevere in the world of art, burdened with high risk.

Piotr Kruszczyński talked about his impressions from the perspective of a theatre director and theatre manager:
"It is extremely important to be able to look at all the graduates in a given year, but also at a certain trend which this festival announces, namely, in what direction the thinking of young theatre is going and how it wants to talk about the world. And very often at the festival you can see shows that talk about the world from your [students - editor's note] perspective. And it is extremely important that your voice is heard. (…) This creative energy of the festival is extremely important and valuable."

In turn, Kalina Zalewska, a theatre critic, mentioned the diversity of theatre languages appearing in the programme, but also the challenge of assessing of the actor’s role creation:
"I am fascinated by diversity and we as jurors have a difficult task because it is difficult to compare different languages. (…) Building a role is the most fascinating element in theatre. I wish you the best possible material for building it. As a critic, I can say that an actor is the most difficult to describe. An actor's work is a puzzle. But at the same time, it is the most intense and important element. We can imagine different theatres, but one without an actor does not exist really," she concluded.

Adrian Panek, film director, presented his point of view regarding interpreting and evaluating the actors' work:
"I have no problem with whether it's dancing or singing or dramatic acting. I just feel a certain energy that comes from it. (…) I listen and watch. It's a wonderful chemistry for me and I perceive it on an experiential level - either something speaks to me and I believe in what I see, or I fall away."

The jury unanimously admitted that they had a difficult task ahead of them – evaluating different acting languages (dramatic, vocal, dance), but at the same time, they emphasised that even in a small role they were able to recognise the artistry of acting and an outstanding personality.
"Without getting into secret matters, we definitely have very heated discussions, because each of us is moved by something different. (…) As part of these discussions, we try to pick out the dark horses. However, this is not an easy task (…) Everyone is great at what they do - and now we have to pick out the best ones," revealed Eliza Kujan, representative of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

Many questions about professional work, methods and tools, were directed to Roma Gąsiorowska, a theatre and film actress, who willingly shared her life experiences:
"An important feature of an actor's work, regardless of whether they work in the theatre or in film, is the stress associated with the fact that we are the ones deciding what this shape will ultimately look like. I look at this profession, where on the one hand, we humbly collect information, work on a role for a very long time and get involved. If this is the case with you, then I keep my fingers crossed because there are certainly already predispositions to practice this profession as you always have to put in a lot of work. But it never yields the full effect; you can put in 3 months or half a year of work, but if you do not overcome this stress 'here and now', that someone is watching you, that you have to concentrate, then you will not be able to achieve this exceptional flow of energy which the director will see. Only then does the conversation with the director begin."

Honest advice from the actress?
"The only thing you can do is learn to work with stress," Roma concluded.

But she also emphasized the importance and beauty of the acting profession in a tip for students:
"This profession is uneven. It requires us to be in good shape. This is not a one-time situation - it is a marathon. I have been an actress for 20 years - I’m experienced, so I can already say that. When I was at school, they told me that the profession of an actor is comparable to that of a miner, in terms of the load, also physical, and stress. It is a beautiful profession, I love it, but it is really demanding."

Constant risk and constant lack of security.
Absolute resignation from comparing yourself to others.
Awareness of your own predispositions.
Drawing from failures.
Working with stress, with the body and with breathing.
Balance between who you are in reality and who you are in creation. Work, work and more hard work.

Here are the tips that can be gathered from the meeting with the Jury. Sincere, from the heart and supported by years of experience.

photos: Mikołaj Zacharow

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