Mar. 12th >>> 8:00 p.m. / Kana Theatre
Mar. 13th >>> 5:00 p.m. / Kana Theatre

LAILONIA - performance of the Kana Theatre, directed by Mateusz Przyłęcki.

Admission: 15 (reduced) and 20 zł.

LAILONIA

based on motives from the book "Thirteen Tales from the Kingdom of Lailonia for Adults and Children and other tales" by Leszek Kolakowski.

The characters from Kolakowski´s tales are afraid of anonymity. They try everything to emphasize their presence, to be noticed, to be distinguished from the crowd, to exist. They believe that once managed to satisfy this desire, they will finally be happy.

Their is a certain similarity between them and the actors incorporating the inhabitants of Lailonia: More and more, they are tempted to "come into existance" on stage. Everybody wants to have his "five minutes", everybody wantshis appearance on stage to be succesful. Everybody wants to be a winner - nobody a loser.

Still the heroes of Kolakowski´s tales do not gain their desired happiness - their actions tend to fail. "Here on earth, there is no success. Certainly, there are some famous people, yet I would insist, that we are all losers", Kolakowski writes. Shall we accept our life as an unavoidable failure? Does that mean that there is no point in making any attempts to fight for one´s own happiness? Do we have any chance to win while tussling with our fate? Do we have any influence on the results?

Kolakowski does not want to answer the question how to live to achieve happiness. In one interview he states: "It´s better to everyone if I accept I will neither be the Pope, nor Greta Garbo, if I know that I´m not perfect and I don`t have to be perfect, if I don`t demand too much from myself, if I enjoy little trivial things, if I`m reconciled to my minor sins and if I`m not unhappy to accept such life." - The journalist askes: "So is that your advice: through mediocrity to a good life?" - "Maybe", Kolakowski replies, "But I don`t want to advise anyone. I`m just saying what seems useful to me."

Adapted and directed by: Mateusz Przyłęcki.

Dramaturgical consultations by: Dorota Semenowicz.
Costumes by: Wanda Kowalska.
Performed by: Kana theater.

Cast: Bibianna Chimiak, Karolina Sabat, Tomasz Grygier, Dariusz Mikuła, Waldemar Nicek, Hubert Romanowski, Piotr Starzyński; guests: Anna Witczak (akordeon).

There are fragments of traditional compositions used in the performance by Anny Witczak, Daniel Kaczmarczyk i Piotr Rejdak; as well as fragments of the following pieces: Louis Armstrong "What a wonderful world" (performed by Rod Stewart); Massive Attack "Everywhen"

Photos: Karolina Machowicz.

We thank Ula Ślusarczyk i Olga Madej for their help!

...I have no idea, where this Lailonia is. It´s only a pretext to brood without restraint of imagination, with a lot of humor an mockery over the questions of who we are and to where we go (...). "Lailonia" is performed as a play of theatre in the theatre in front of us. On the empty stage, characters dressed in black: with the help of facial and bodily expression, their wardrobe and simple props, they create the space for following stories. It`s a bit of childrens play, a bit of cabaret as well; enhanced by the actors subtle interpretation of the jokes and the autoirony of the play (...), their acting itself: fresh and spontaneous. (...) Kana is playing "Lailonia" really as an ensemble. Throughout the whole play, we are made not to forget that we still are in a theatre.(...) And the spectator is more and more convinced that although it may be an imperfect actor who is creating this imperfect world around us, this world still is wonderful, and to be in it even more...

Gazeta Wyborcza, Szczecin

...While watching the stories of Lailonia, we realize that actually those are stories about us, about our difficulties, our mistakes, our doggedness, our defeats, our hopes and our foolishness. We all are inhabitants of Lailonia, there we have our houses, no matter if we may call it Pogodno or Pernambuco. Lailonia is in every one of us, we are in it. (...) It really is worth, to go to see "Lailonia". One and a half hour of good theatre! It really is worth to go to Kana Theatre to have a good laugh there, but also - maybe only for one`s own sake - to go there and to experience this "Lailonian lesson"...

Kurier Szczeciński

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