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Published: August 7th 2006
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Room
Our messy table in our crappy hostel in Wroclaw. So, it’s been some time since I have posted anything. And that is because I’ve been in the middle of the woods in Poland for 7 days. Brzezinka was built in the mid 70’s I believe for the Theatre Laboratory’s use in it’s work. It is one building (and a broken water mill) that houses enough space (and more) for the 35 people who are here now, two large work spaces, a kitchen, two dining halls several storage spaces and of course, a three stall, two shower bathroom and washing machine. Oh, and mosquitos the size of my hand.
Our schedule has been (loosely) as follows:
8:30 Warm-up session
This typically consists of a run through the woods, lots of stretching and yoga like excercises. Also, weight sharing with partners and acrobatic partner work. Lots of walking together with legs and arms connected like a caterpillar.
9:30 Breakfast
Usually müsli, bread, cheese, jams, meat, milk, yogurt, juice, tea. No fruit for me, but I’ve had to eat enough here to keep me going through several hours of tough work.
11:00 Work session
Usually two hours with Theatr ZAR, movement and isolation work with the body. Lots of moving on one
Room 2
The electric water heaters that are everywhere in europe. I had never used one before. . . pulse silently, seeing the whole space instead of only right in front of you. Then another hour or so with Ancient Orchestra or split between the two. Work with ancient greek text, rhythms and singing. Also, Greek dance, using images from the sides of urns. Georgian, as in Russia, dance and vocal work.
2:30 Lunch
Anything from sandwiches of cheese and meat with cabbage salad or borscht or pancakes with cheese inside to pierogi to fish. Really, whatever is lying around. More tea.
3:30 Work Session
Three hours with Ancient Orchestra. More text work on Antigone, rhythms and clapping/stomping out accents. Polyphonic chant work. Building from each note.
6:30 Dinner
Similar to lunch. Bread and cheese, jam. Usually some warm dish, rice or borscht or pierogi. Lots of carbs. Some vegetables sometimes. The occasional cookie. Tea.
7:30 Work session
Five hours with Theatr Zar mostly. Some of it with Ancient Orchestra. And our night time run. Through the forest, running until it is too dark to see. Then finding a clearing and singing. Lying down, singing to the stars. Singing in groups as we walk through pitch black. Sometimes we begin in the pitch black and move through with torches
Rooster.
Every floor of the hostel had his painting in the lobby. Every floor. for a bit and then feel our way slowly until we cannot go any further. Strange. Lots of mosquitos. Really beautiful when we all sing in the middle of the clearest sky I have ever seen. Yarek says ‘To sing is to move the stars’. Sometimes we do.
Midnight supper and sleep.
Delicious usually. Watermelon or bananas or curry and vegetables or something. Tea. As usual.
Our final day was very tough work. It was the last day after all, so we must work hard! After the last session, we feasted on fruit and a cabbage dish and Bulgarian wine and tea (of course)! ZAR offered up many songs and we each sang songs from our countries. I sang ‘Georgia on my mind’ and later ‘Goodnight my someone’ when it was time for lullabyes. We went to bed around 2 am and were up again this morning for an 8:30 run through the woods. I was surprisingly awake once I had a good stretch. It had rained and the woods were cool and fresh and the mosquitoes were out in herds, somehow knowing that we;d be gone soon and they better stock up for the week. It was a good
Stairs
This was a tough walk after five hours of running around with crazy Ukranians. morning, we ate slowly afterwards, all the food that was left form the week and cleaned the whole of the place. We were on the bus by noon and in Wroclaw before 1 pm. Our hostel is not nice, very hot and with ice cold showers. Also it is expenisve. But we are trying to make the best of it and kill all of the ants on the floor.
After the week of work in Wroclaw, we leave this Sunday evening at 11 pm for Germany, to arrive the next morning at 8 am or so. And then we begin work on either the 8th or the 9th there. I am not sure. Perhaps the hostel there will be better, yes?
Now I am in Wroclaw, and enjoying my time here greatly. We are working with a famous Ukranian singer and a director from Moscow (Natalka and Sergei) and learning the whirling dervish! In the evenings we train with Zygmunt Molik, who was one of Grotowski’s actor’s in the Theatre Laboratory. He was in the filmed version of Acropolis, which we watched the night we arrived. More later on that front.
I am not sure
Grot center alley
The alley down which you can find the Grot. center. why my last map said I traveled to Antarctica. That is, I hope obviously, incorrect. . .
More soon.
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Samantha
non-member comment
Isn't Poland grand....
Hey Katie...i've had a great time reading your posts....just to let you know, your about 7.5 hours from me and I was thinkin it may be kinda cool for me to come a see your performance on the 26th. i mean I'm here, your here...would that be possible? I hope you get this comment....let me know at my email..i'm a lameass and don't have your's, tut mir leid. So Du sprichts deutch? Ich auch. :) my email again..azthesbo82@cs.com have a great time in Germany, i love germany...berlin and Munich are awesome, will you be doing any traveling??? Lotsa love...chow-sam