Panel: Anniversary — The Essence of the Contemporary Off Stage

PPA production: Maciej Wiśniewski

hosts: Krzysztof Mieszkowski, Marzena Sadocha

guests: Rafał Księżyk, Martyna Majewska, Katarzyna Knychalska, Maciek Masztalski (Ad Spectatores), Paweł Romańczuk, Karbido (Michał Litwiniec, Igor Gawlikowski, Marek Otwinowski, Paweł Czepułkowski, Tomasz Sikora, Jacek Fedorowicz)

Exactly twenty years ago, the then Artistic Director of the Stage Songs Review, Wojtek Kościelniak, initiated a new festival format — the OFF Competition, which continues to this day. Bold and exploratory artists are given the opportunity to create a premiere performance free from external suggestions, ideological pressure, or censorship, with the financial support of the festival. The only formal requirement is the use of singing, in any technique, context, or conceptual approach to voice. What matters most is that the OFF Stream remains aligned with the core idea of the festival.

Each year, around ten projects are selected from submitted proposals and presented during the festival, where they are evaluated by a specially appointed jury. Over the past two decades, many outstanding performances have been created — many of which continue to be presented on stages across Poland and abroad.

During the 46th edition of PPA, in connection with the anniversary edition of the OFF Competition, we invite the festival audience and special guests to reflect on the phenomenon of off-art. What does the off-stage represent today within the broader landscape of contemporary art? How does off differ from the mainstream? Does off-art serve a different purpose than popular art? Should it be associated with protest, provocation, and crossing boundaries? What is the current condition of off-theatre in the face of growing commercial pressure and artistic mass production?

These questions will be explored by outstanding guests:

Rafał Księżyk — journalist and music critic, leading expert and researcher of Poland’s off scene, author of numerous books, essays, and publications on alternative culture. Rafał Księżyk will also serve as a juror of this year’s OFF Competition.

Martyna Majewska – theatre and film director working within an off aesthetic. She directed the play “Passion: all that shitty acting song,” which won the Tukan Off at the 34rd Stage Song Review in 2013.

Maciej Masztalski – a theatre director, playwright, director and founder of the Ad Spectatores Theatre, currently the longest-running independent theatre in Wrocław. His work often incorporates unusual spaces into his theatrical performances such as streets, staircases or public transport. In 2012, he was a jury member in the Off Competition at the 33rd Stage Song Review.

Paweł Romańczuk – will lead a musical dialogue with the panelists. A Wrocław-based avant-garde artist, he founded the Małe Instrumenty, an artistic group, which focuses on sonic explorations in the realm of small sized professional instruments as well as all other small objects producing sounds. He is also a researcher and designer of non-obvious instruments.

Karbido (Michał Litwiniec, Igor Gawlikowski, Marek Otwinowski, Paweł Czepułkowski,Tomasz Sikora, Jacek Fedorowicz) — winners of the Grand Prize of the very first OFF Competition. Their performance “The Table”, which earned them the award, has been presented on all continents. As part of the anniversary celebration, we are happy to present it again this year at the festival.

The panel will be moderated by Krzysztof Mieszkowski, Editor-in-Chief of “Notatnik Teatralny”, and Marzena Sadocha, Deputy Editor-in-Chief.

The meeting will be held under the patronage of “Notatnik Teatralny” and recorded as part of the magazine’s ongoing series of editorial talks with invited guests.