Opole in Ravenna – presentation of new Polish theatre in Italy

New Polish theatre visits Italy! Between 19 and 23 November 2025, Ravenna Teatro will present two performances by the Jan Kochanowski Theatre in Opole as part of the “Opole in Ravenna” event. The audience will have the opportunity to see the experimental “Autentik” and the moving “I’m Nowhere / Desvanecimiento” performances. The project, supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, will introduce Italian audiences to the latest trends in Polish theatre art.

“Opole in Ravenna” – a space for Polish-Italian artistic dialogue

Ravenna Teatro is a Theatre Production Centre (Centro di Produzione Teatrale), founded in 1991 as a result of merger of two different theatre companies: Teatro delle Albe and Drammatico Vegetale. Based in Teatro Rasi, an ancient 13th-century temple, the institution provides space for artistic exploration and exchange of theatrical experiences. Its activity grows out of a constant dialogue – from Aristophanes through Giordano Bruno to Artaud. Permeated by the poetics of its founding artists, the Centre produces theatre performances, films, music, as well as publishes books, organises small-scale festivals, art programmes, conducts teaching activities, organises residencies, seminars, meetings and exhibitions, working with partners at the local and national levels.

In November 2025, the Italian theatre will present two performances of the new Polish theatre, prepared by the Jan Kochanowski Theatre in Opole – one of the most modern and spectacular dramatic stages in Poland. Since the 1970s, it has combined an impressive stage scale with an innovative approach to staging Polish classics. In Ravenna, the following will be presented: “Autentik” and “I’m Nowhere / Desvanecimiento.”

“Autentik” – Italian premiere and questions about authenticity

On Friday, 19 November 2025, 21:00, the performance “Autentik” will be staged. The Italian premiere will follow shortly after the Polish premiere, which took place in September 2025. The show will be performed in Polish, with Italian surtitles. “Autentik” is a performance that questions what we take to be true – even when artificial intelligence turns out to be “real.”

The story presented on stage asks numerous questions about the meaning of the word “authenticity.” Each of us is confident in our ability to define what is “authentic,” and each of us has a sense of being “authentic” at least at times. It seems simple – to be yourself, to be true to yourself. But perhaps what we believe to be sincere and authentic is only a figment of our imagination. Maybe our “authenticity” is an intricately woven collage of other people’s ideas, values, cultural clichés. And isn’t it perverse that, while invoking our own identity, we reach for ready-made images – and sometimes even our own imagination, as if it, too, wasn’t cast from other people’s narratives?

“Autentik” at Teatro Rasi in Ravenna – practical information

• When: 19 November 2025, 21:00

• Where: Teatro Rasi, via di Roma 39, Ravenna, Italy

• Creators: concept, direction, and musical arrangement: Norbert Rakowski; choreographies: Janusz Orlik; stage design: Maria Jankowska; costume design: Paula Grocholska, Wanda and Marcin Kędzierzawski; lighting design: Bogumil Palewicz; video: Wojciech Kapela; stage director: Urszula Kraska; with participation of: Kamil Brzeziński, Jakub Klimaszewski, Aurora Lipartowska, Karolina Pewińska, Bartosz Woźny;

• Production and co-production: Jan Kochanowski Theatre in Opole, Wrocław Pantomime Theatre

• Tickets and more information: ravennateatro.com

“I’m Nowhere / Desvanecimiento” – a performance about the choices between life and death

Who should determine the way we live? The law? Medical advancement? Courts? Church? We ourselves? Can we take responsibility for decisions that cannot be undone? “I’m Nowhere / Desvanecimiento” examines different aspects of choices between life and death. The topic of euthanasia – legal in several European countries, but still kept taboo in Poland – becomes a point of departure for reflection. The performance premiered in September 2023, and will be presented in Italy for the first time on 22 and 23 November 2025. The show will be performed in Polish and Spanish, with Italian surtitles and narration.

Ethical dilemmas regarding “good death” challenge our beliefs, confront social norms, and force us to work through moral ambiguities that each individual and society as a whole must decipher. This play is an attempt to get each of us off the “beaten path.” It invites viewers to start a journey deep into their own consciousness, to grapple with their own beliefs about life and death, and to gain a deeper understanding of the human experience. It is not just the act of euthanasia itself, but the numerous feelings, beliefs, and experiences that surround it. The show becomes a platform for the audience to reflect on the profound choices we make in life and the inherent dignity that lies in each individual journey, from the cradle to the grave.

“I’m Nowhere / Desvanecimiento” at Artificerie Almagià in Ravenna – practical information

• When: Saturday, 22 November 21:00, and Sunday, 23 November, 16:00

• Where: Artificerie Almagià, via dell'Almagià 2, Ravenna

• Creators:  concept and direction: Norbert Rakowski; choreography: Janusz Orlik; music: Tao Gutiérrez; stage design: Maria Jankowska; costume design: Paula Grocholska; lighting design: Bogumil Palewicz; video: Wojciech Kapela; assistant director: Jakub Klimaszewski; assistant light director: Mikołaj Kałużny; translation: Sandra Boruc Calvo, Marta Eloy Cichocka; translation of the play “Disappearing:” Agnieszka Lubomira-Piotrowska; cameraman: Emilia Cięciwa; sound design: David Duda; narrator voices: Paola De Crescenzo, Krystyna Czubówna, May-Linda Kosumovic, Philip Leone-Ganado, Ana Facchini, Filip Kołłątaj, Ibrahim Koma, Felix Römer, Norbert Rakowski, Alejandro Tous; stage coordinator: Katarzyna Siczewska

• Tickets and more information: ravennateatro.com

“Riflessioni sul tema del fine vita” – a debate on the end of life at Casa Melandri

The performance will be accompanied by the meeting “Riflessioni sul tema del fine vita,” which will be held on 22 November at 17:00 at Casa Melandri (via Ponte Marino 2, Ravenna), in the P. D’Attorre room. It will be a space for conversation and reflection on the extremely sensitive topic of the end of life.

The discussion will host: Alessandro Argnani (co-director of Ravenna Teatro), Maia Cornacchia (philosopher), Giovanni Gordini (regional councillor, vice-president of the Health Commission), Matteo Mainardi (Luca Coscioni Association), Norbert Rakowski (director of the performance) and Fabio Sbaraglia (assessor for culture of the city of Ravenna). The meeting will be moderated by journalist and theatre critic Andrea Pocosgnich. Admission free.