“We Are Leaving” by Krzysztof Warlikowski at the International Theatre Festival in Wuzhen

Krzysztof Warlikowski’s play “We Are Leaving” will be presented at the International Theatre Festival in Wuzhen, China. Four performances of the play will take place from 17 to 20 October 2024. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute has been supporting the presentations of the Polish theatrical works at the Wuzhen festival since 2015.

“We Are Leaving” – a play by Krzysztof Warlikowski

Krzysztof Warlikowski is one of the most important contemporary theatre and opera authors. “We Are Leaving” has been written based on Hanoch Levin’s drama “Suitcase Packers” – a story of an Israeli settlement whose inhabitants dream of moving out to a place where they could live a better life.

In Krzysztof Warlikowski’s intepretation, “We Are Leaving” is embedded in the Polish reality. Its characters, who can easily travel, change their dwelling place, emigrate and return, are confronted with a thought that it does not make them happy at all. The play asks a question about the sense of constant movement: is life truly somewhere else? Would it not be better and wiser to focus on building a community? Is there a time for romantic gestures or rather a time for positivist work for the common good?

Photo by Magdalena Hueckel

Polish productions at the International Theatre Festival in Wuzhen

The International Theatre Festival in Wuzhen is a cyclical theatrical event presenting the best local and foreign plays. One of its founders is Meng Jinghui, its current director, who is a recognised Chinese theatre director and also a manager of the Beijing Fringe festival. The festival lasts 9 days and takes place in the setting of a historic city of Wuzhen, intersected by canals and located near Shanghai.

The Adam Mickiewicz Institute has been supporting Polish theatre productions appearing at the International Theatre Festival in Wuzhen since 2015. So far, the Chinese audience has had a chance to watch “Portraits of Cherry Orchard”, “An Enemy of the People” and “One Gesture”.

Performances of “We Are Leaving” at the International Theatre Festival in Wuzhen are supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

 

Director: Krzysztof Warlikowski

Stage design, costumes: Małgorzata Szcześniak

Starring:

Agata Buzek / Jaśmina Polak

Magdalena Cielecka

Ewa Dałkowska

Małgorzata Hajewska–Krzysztofik

Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieślak

Dorota Kolak

Monika Niemczyk

Maja Ostaszewska

Jaśmina Polak / Ewelina Pankowska

Magdalena Popławska

Andrzej Chyra

Bartosz Gelner

Maciej Gąsiu Gośniowski / Paweł Sakowicz

Wojciech Kalarus

Marek Kalita

Rafał Maćkowiak / Maciej Stuhr

Zygmunt Malanowicz / Mariusz Bonaszewski

Piotr Polak

Jacek Poniedziałek