The Theatre Mumerus Association - Krakow
and
the Villa Decius Association - Krakow
in conjunction with
the Wiszniański College of the Lviv National Agricultural University
present:
"People of the Road: Papkin and Others"
A Polish-Ukrainian theatre workshop concluding with an open-air performance
"People of the Road: Papkin and Others"
A Polish-Ukrainian theatre workshop concluding with an open-air performance
In Act I of Poland’s best-known classic comedy, which is to say, Alekander Fredro’s The Revenge, Cześnik says to Papkin:
"My Papkin, I can vouch that you Travelled here on shank’s pony; The gold to see your journey through Stayed en route with brief-met crony At a passing game of faro."
The concept behind this project sprung from none other than that quote. Its theme is the character of Papkin and the places where that gentleman parted with his gold at the card table; inns, taverns, the manor houses of the gentry, fairs and markets. Papkin – charlatan, poet, romantic lover, gambler, rover the world over and ill-starred wretch "Slipped poison in a glass of wine", was shown multiplied at least twentyfold; twenty or more different incarnations of Papkin, beginning with the Scarecrow. Anyway, nothing else needs to be said, because:
"The wide world hails me, "Papkin mine!". Now, brother, bring a stoup of wine."
The cycle of theatre workshops devoted to Papkin was led by the Theatre Mumerus director, actors and set designer and the participants were young people from the Theatre Mumerus Studio and Ukraine. The open-air production that was born during the workshops was presented three times; in the gardens of Villa Decius in Krakow on 29th September 2010 and on the Fredro family estate in Bieńkowa Wisznia (Ukraine) and in the courtyard of the Lviv History Museum on 10th and 12th September respectively.
In working on this project in places associated with Count Aleksander Fredro, the author of The Revenge, we hoped to define the character of Papkin within specific Galician settings, namely Lviv and its environs and Krakow.
Project leader and director: Wiesław Hołdys
Actors’ workshop: Anna Lenczewska, Jan Mancewicz, Karol Zapała
Set design workshop: Elżbieta Rokita
Graphic design for the character of Papkin: Jan Polewka
Organisation on behalf of Theatre Mumerus: Maria Śmiłek
Project organisation on behalf of Villa Decius: Jaga Figiel and Katarzyna Trojanowska
Patron: the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Lviv Patron-in-Spirit: Count Aleksander Fredro
The project was funded by the Voivodship of Małopolskie,
the European Commission, under the Youth in Action programme
and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.
