Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival
Encyclopedia
Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival is an international theatre festival devoted to the idea of the Elizabethan theatre, and especially to the works of William Shakespeare
. The event was first organized in 1993, on the initiative of Theatrum Gedanense Foundation, which had been created by prof. Jerzy Limon and Władysław Zawistowski. Its original name, "Gdańsk Shakespeare Days" was transformed into "Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival" in 1997, during the celebration of Gdańsk's millennium.
The Festival is held annually during the first week of August. Most of the plays are performed on the theatre scenes of Gdańsk
, Sopot
, and Gdynia
(Tricity). Some are shown in spaces such as st. John's Church, the former Royal Gun Factory, or Gdańsk Shipyard
and in the open air.).
The Festival aims at presenting and popularizing the output of William Shakespeare by presentation of his plays, but also by other means. After the performances the public can meet with directors and actors. Within the framework of the festival an educational program for students is organized as well. It is called "Letnia Akademia Szekspirowska" (Summer Shakespeare Academy).
or painting
.
Shakespeare Daily is the newspaper that has accompanied the festival for many years. It is created and edited by the participants of journalism
workshops. It contains the information about festival events, review
s, and article
s about plays and artists.
'Dolne Miasto Górą' (which could be translated as "Dolne Miasto is the Best") is the common name of various artistic workshops organised in Dolne Miasto and Orunia (districts of Gdańsk). It is also called "Shakespeare mania" and consists of free workshops for children and teenagers conducted by young artists from Gdańsk. The project was created by Joanna Śnieżko-Misterek, Teatrum Gedanense Foundation and Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre. The aim of the action is to make the youth conscious of their abilities and to help them develop their interests and self-esteem. The end of the workshops is always celebrated with a theatrical parade. Actors, human-shaped puppet
s and various artists, together with the residents of Dolne Miasto, march along Długi Targ, which is the centre of the Old Town of Gdańsk
.
The events do not end with the festival's last day. After the festival photographic and literary competitions are organised. Each year a competition for the best festival photograph and review is held. There is also an annual exhibition of the works of young independent artists.
. Many of the festival theatre groups employed multimedia in their performances. The event was accompanied by an international conference on the phenomenon of multimedia arts in the theatre: Blending the Media. Art in the theatre/theatre in the arts. Among the guests of the conference were such theatre studies
stars as Marvin Carlson, Patrice Pavis, Bryan Reynolds
, Erika Fischer-Lichte czy Eli Rozik. A lecture was given by Elizabeth LeCompte
, the founding member and the director of an experimental theater collective - The Wooster Group
.
It was during this edition that festival performances could be seen outside the Tricity for the first time. This event was called Shakespeare in Pomerania Region. "A Midsummer Night's Dream
" by the Globe Theatre
was shown in Słupsk, Pruszcz Gdański
, and Kościerzyna
.
Performances of the main stage:
As a part of Shakespeare Miniature Scenes were shown:
, Yoshihiro Kurita (Ryutopia Theatre, USA) and Jarosław Bielski (Replika Theatre, Spain) gave acting workshops on Hamlet
, and Bryan Reynolds
and Chris Marshall (Transversal Theatre, USA) gave a workshop on transversal acting methodology. Ińaki Arana (Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramatico, Spain) gave an artistic swordplay workshop, and Bare Feet (Zambia) and the Other Side of the Mirror Theatre (Gdańsk) gave African dance and drumming workshops. Also, Lonnie Alcaraz (Transversal Theatre, USA) gave a workshop for lighting directors and Michael Hooker (Transversal Theatre, USA) gave a workshop for sound directors.
Performances of the main stage:
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
. The event was first organized in 1993, on the initiative of Theatrum Gedanense Foundation, which had been created by prof. Jerzy Limon and Władysław Zawistowski. Its original name, "Gdańsk Shakespeare Days" was transformed into "Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival" in 1997, during the celebration of Gdańsk's millennium.
The Festival is held annually during the first week of August. Most of the plays are performed on the theatre scenes of Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, Sopot
Sopot
Sopot is a seaside town in Eastern Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000....
, and Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
(Tricity). Some are shown in spaces such as st. John's Church, the former Royal Gun Factory, or Gdańsk Shipyard
Gdansk Shipyard
Gdańsk Shipyard is a large Polish shipyard, located in the city of Gdańsk. The yard gained international fame when Solidarity was founded there in September 1980...
and in the open air.).
The Festival aims at presenting and popularizing the output of William Shakespeare by presentation of his plays, but also by other means. After the performances the public can meet with directors and actors. Within the framework of the festival an educational program for students is organized as well. It is called "Letnia Akademia Szekspirowska" (Summer Shakespeare Academy).
Golden Yorick prize
It is a prize given every year to the best Polish staging of the Shakespearean play in a theatre season. It has been awarded by the Theatrum Gedanense Foundation since 1994. Each year the prizewinning performances are invited to participate in the Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival.Winners
- 1994 - Love's Labour's LostLove's Labour's LostLove's Labour's Lost is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s, and first published in 1598.-Title:...
Polish Theatre in WarsawPolish Theatre in WarsawPolish Theatre in Warsaw The theatre was initiated by Arnold Szyfman and designed by Czesław Przybylski. Finished in 1913, the facility featured Poland's first revolving stage. It a private enterprise staging Polish and foreign classics, contemporary drama, as well as popular plays.The theater was ...
, directed by Maciej Prus - 1995 - Romeo and JulietRomeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
Polish Theatre in Wrocław, directed by Tadeusz Bradecki - 1996 - the main prize was not awarded, distinction: As You Like ItAs You Like ItAs You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
Helena Modrzejewska Theatre in Legnica, directed by Robert Czechowski - 1997 - As You Like It Dramatic Theatre in Warsaw, directed by Piotr Cieślak
- 1998 - Measure for MeasureMeasure for MeasureMeasure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was classified as comedy, but its mood defies those expectations. As a result and for a variety of reasons, some critics have labelled it as one of Shakespeare's problem plays...
Old Theatre in Cracow, directed by Tadeusz Bradecki - 1999 - CoriolanusCoriolanusGaius Marcius Coriolanus was a Roman general who is said to have lived in the 5th century BC. He received his toponymic cognomen "Coriolanus" because of his exceptional valor in a Roman siege of the Volscian city of Corioli. He was then promoted to a general...
Helena Modrzejewska Theatre in Legnica, directed by Jacek Głomb and Krzysztof Kopka - 2000 - The Merry Wives of WindsorThe Merry Wives of WindsorThe Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare, first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597. It features the fat knight Sir John Falstaff, and is Shakespeare's only play to deal exclusively with contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life...
Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw, directed by Piotr Cieplak - 2001 - King LearKing LearKing Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
Nowa Łódź Theatre, directed by Mikołaj Grabowski - 2002 - A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
National Theatre in Warsaw, directed by Jerzy Grzegorzewski - 2003 - The TempestThe TempestThe Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
TR Warszawa, directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski - 2004 - Richard IIIRichard III (play)Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
Nowy Theatre in Poznań, directed by Janusz Wiśniewski - 2005 - main prize: The Comedy of ErrorsThe Comedy of ErrorsThe Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. The Comedy of Errors is one of only two of Shakespeare's...
Nowy Theatre in Łódź, directed by Maciej Prus, distinction: 2007: Macbeth TR Warszawa, directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna, special prize: H Wybrzeże Theatre in Gdańsk, directed by Jan Klata - 2006 - Romeo and Juliet Norwid Theatre in Jelenia Góra, directed by Krzysztof Rekowski
- 2007 - Measure for Measure Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw, directed by Anna Augustynowicz
- 2008 - The Tempest Nowy Theatre in Poznań, directed by Janusz Wiśniewski
- 2009 - the main prize was not awarded, First distinction: The Taming of the ShrewThe Taming of the ShrewThe Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
Wybrzeże Theatre, directed by Szymon Kaczmarek; Honorary distinction: Othello. Variations on a Theme Stefan Jaracz TheatreStefan Jaracz TheatreThe Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź, Poland is the oldest theatre in the region. It is a repertory theatre subordinate to the Marshall Office of the Łódź Voivodeship...
, directed by Agata Duda-Graczin the Competition for the Best Shakespeare Production in the 2008/2009 season}}
Accompanying Events
Summer Shakespeare Academy consists of theatrical and creative workshops conducted by Polish artists and famous foreign personalities. The participants are encouraged to develop their passions for theatre, dance, photographyPhotography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
or painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
.
Shakespeare Daily is the newspaper that has accompanied the festival for many years. It is created and edited by the participants of journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
workshops. It contains the information about festival events, review
Review
A review is an evaluation of a publication, a product or a service, such as a movie , video game, musical composition , book ; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theater show or dance show...
s, and article
Article (publishing)
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
s about plays and artists.
'Dolne Miasto Górą' (which could be translated as "Dolne Miasto is the Best") is the common name of various artistic workshops organised in Dolne Miasto and Orunia (districts of Gdańsk). It is also called "Shakespeare mania" and consists of free workshops for children and teenagers conducted by young artists from Gdańsk. The project was created by Joanna Śnieżko-Misterek, Teatrum Gedanense Foundation and Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre. The aim of the action is to make the youth conscious of their abilities and to help them develop their interests and self-esteem. The end of the workshops is always celebrated with a theatrical parade. Actors, human-shaped puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
s and various artists, together with the residents of Dolne Miasto, march along Długi Targ, which is the centre of the Old Town of Gdańsk
Old Town (Gdańsk)
Old Town in Gdańsk refers to the part of the city north of the modern city center.Notable structures include:* Gdańsk Granaries* Gdańsk Mills* Gdańsk Town Hall* Monument of King Sobieski* Polish Post* several old buildings and churches...
.
The events do not end with the festival's last day. After the festival photographic and literary competitions are organised. Each year a competition for the best festival photograph and review is held. There is also an annual exhibition of the works of young independent artists.
13th Shakespeare Festival
13th Shakespeare Festival was held 1–10 August 2009. It was the first edition of the festival that had a theme - multimediaMultimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
. Many of the festival theatre groups employed multimedia in their performances. The event was accompanied by an international conference on the phenomenon of multimedia arts in the theatre: Blending the Media. Art in the theatre/theatre in the arts. Among the guests of the conference were such theatre studies
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
stars as Marvin Carlson, Patrice Pavis, Bryan Reynolds
Bryan Reynolds
Bryan Reynolds is an American critical theorist, performance theorist, and Shakespeare scholar who developed the combined social theory, performance aesthetics, and research methodology known as transversal poetics...
, Erika Fischer-Lichte czy Eli Rozik. A lecture was given by Elizabeth LeCompte
Elizabeth LeCompte
Elizabeth LeCompte is a founding member and the theater director of experimental theater collective The Wooster Group .-Biography:...
, the founding member and the director of an experimental theater collective - The Wooster Group
The Wooster Group
The Wooster Group is a New York City-based experimental theater company known for creating numerous original dramatic works. It gradually emerged during 1975-1980 from Richard Schechner's The Performance Group and took its name in 1980...
.
It was during this edition that festival performances could be seen outside the Tricity for the first time. This event was called Shakespeare in Pomerania Region. "A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
" by the Globe Theatre
Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613...
was shown in Słupsk, Pruszcz Gdański
Pruszcz Gdanski
Pruszcz Gdański is a town in Gdańsk Pomerania, northwestern Poland with 26834 inhabitants . Pruszcz Gdański is an industrial town neighbouring Gdańsk, part of the Tricity agglomeration...
, and Kościerzyna
Koscierzyna
Kościerzyna is a town in Kashubia in Gdańsk Pomerania region, northern Poland, with some 24,000 inhabitants. It has been the capital of Kościerzyna County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999; previously it was in Gdańsk Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998...
.
Performances of the main stage:
- HAMLETHamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
/Amleto. Nella Carne il Silenzio - Compagnia Laboratorio di Pontendera (Italy) - The Merchant of VeniceThe Merchant of VeniceThe Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
and A Midsummer Night's Dream - two performances by PropellerPropeller (theatre company)Propeller is a theatre company which presents the plays of William Shakespeare in the UK and around the world. The director is Edward Hall, and the casts are exclusively male actors.-Background:...
company from Watermill TheatreWatermill TheatreThe Watermill Theatre is an award -winning, professional repertory theatre with charitable status. It is a converted watermill with gardens beside the River Lambourn, in Bagnor, near Newbury, Berkshire, England...
, Great Britain - Hamlet - The Wooster Group (USA)
- Warum, Warum directed by Peter BrookPeter BrookPeter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
- Miriam Goldschmidt's monodrama - A Midsummer Night's Dream - Globe Theatre (Great Britain)
- The Merchant of Venice - Bremer Shakespeare Company (Germany)
- The Taming of the Shrew - The Wybrzeże Theatre (Poland), First distinction in the Golden Yorick competition
- King Richard III - co-production of two theatres: The Hungarian Theatre of Cluj (RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
) and The Gyulai Castle Theatre (Hungary) - Othello. Variations on a theme - The Stefan Jaracz Theatre, Łódź (Poland), Honorary distinction in the Golden Yorick Competition
- Hamlet - The Radu Stanca National Theatre in Sibiu (Romania)
As a part of Shakespeare Miniature Scenes were shown:
- "O, that this too too solid flesh..." - performance by the students of London Metropolitan UniversityLondon Metropolitan UniversityLondon Metropolitan University , located in London, England, was formed on 1 August 2002 by the amalgamation of the University of North London and the London Guildhall University . The University has campuses in the City of London and in the London Borough of Islington.The University operates its...
, based on several William Shakespeare's plays (Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado about NothingMuch Ado About NothingMuch Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
, A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It) - "Hamlet, or the End of Childhood" - The Naxos Theatre Group (France)
- "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by students of the Warsaw Theatrical Academy, the performance based on Shakespeare's play and the music of Philip GlassPhilip GlassPhilip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
and King CrimsonKing CrimsonKing Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history... - "The Tempest" by The Parrabbola Group (Great Britain)
12th Shakespeare Festival
12th Shakespeare Festival was held 2–9 August 2008.Among the many performances of the year, the festival included a variety of workshops and lectures by distinguished theatre practitioners. Caleb Marshall (Shakespeare Globe Theatre, Great Britain) gave an acting workshop on Romeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
, Yoshihiro Kurita (Ryutopia Theatre, USA) and Jarosław Bielski (Replika Theatre, Spain) gave acting workshops on Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, and Bryan Reynolds
Bryan Reynolds
Bryan Reynolds is an American critical theorist, performance theorist, and Shakespeare scholar who developed the combined social theory, performance aesthetics, and research methodology known as transversal poetics...
and Chris Marshall (Transversal Theatre, USA) gave a workshop on transversal acting methodology. Ińaki Arana (Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramatico, Spain) gave an artistic swordplay workshop, and Bare Feet (Zambia) and the Other Side of the Mirror Theatre (Gdańsk) gave African dance and drumming workshops. Also, Lonnie Alcaraz (Transversal Theatre, USA) gave a workshop for lighting directors and Michael Hooker (Transversal Theatre, USA) gave a workshop for sound directors.
Performances of the main stage:
- MacbethMacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
- ARKA theatre, Wrocław - The Winter's TaleThe Winter's TaleThe Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...
- Ryutopia Theatre, Japan - Hamlet - Polski Theatre, Wrocław
- SHAKESPEARE SOLO - Ophelia - State Youth Theatre, Armenia
- Richard after Richard - Theatre in the Basket, Ukraine
- HamletmachineHamletmachineHamletmachine is a postmodernist drama by German playwright and theatre director Heiner Müller. Written in 1977, the play is loosely based on Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The play originated in relation to a translation of Shakespeare's Hamlet that Müller undertook...
- Odeon Theatre, Romania - Hamlet - Réplika Theatre, Spain
- Romeo and Juliet - Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, UK
- Measure for MeasureMeasure for MeasureMeasure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was classified as comedy, but its mood defies those expectations. As a result and for a variety of reasons, some critics have labelled it as one of Shakespeare's problem plays...
- National Theatre, Craiova, Romania - The TempestThe TempestThe Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
- Nowy Theatre, Poznań - Lumping in Fargo - Transversal Theatre, USA