Ośrodek Praktyk Teatralnych Gardzienice was founded in 1977 by its present Art Director, Włodzimierz Staniewski. The Theatre has so far staged six performances: Gargantua and Pentagruel based on Rabelais, The Sorcery based on Forefathers’ Eve by Mickiewicz, Avvakum, The Life of Protopope, Carmina Burana and Metamorphosis prepared for Gardzienice’s the 20th Anniversary. The Theatre also carries out wide educational activities at The Academy of Theatre that was opened last year.
“Dear Guestes – writes Włodzimierz Staniewski in his note to Metamorphosis – as our every initiative (from the begriming) this one also has its source in music. Music is the heart and soul of all our projects. This time we have changed our philosophy and learned music not from living people but from stones. From living stones. Since the traces of music from ancient Greece (5th century BC to 2nd century AC) remained (in many cases) only inscribed in stones.
To sing a song from a stone is like singing the stone, giving a statement that it is alive like nature itself. We invite you to a feast of singing; singing ancient tunes, ancient melodies but with contemporary voices. We have transformed the music a little, as far as the tempo, rhythm and dynamics go… Or perhaps we did not transform it but we kept in accordance to the Spirit of the Epoch, since the line of life and rhythm cannot be revoked. The only source of inspiration is intuition…”