BAM presents the return of Krzysztof Warlikowski and TR Warszawa in the U.S. premiere of Krum by Hanoch Levin as part of the 25th Next Wave Festival

Warlikowski directs leading Polish theater company in a work by influential Israeli playwright

BAM 25th Next Wave Festival is sponsored by Altria Group, Inc.

Krum By Hanoch Levin TR Warszawa Co-produced by Stary Teatr (Cracow) Directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski

Set design by Małgorzata Szczęśniak Lighting design by Felice Ross Costume design by Małgorzata Szczęśniak

BAM Harvey Theater (651 Fulton St) Oct 17–20 at 7:30pm Tickets: $20, 30, 35, 45 718.636.4100 or BAM.org

Performed in Polish with English subtitles

Brooklyn, NY/September 6, 2007—TR Warszawa, a leading Polish theater company, returns to BAM in the U.S. premiere of Krum by Hanoch Levin—the influential Israeli playwright whose work is rarely produced in the U.S. As directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski, who made his U.S. directorial debut with a haunting production of The Dybbuk at BAM’s 2004 Next Wave Festival, Levin’s morality tale centers on a community lost in hopelessness and devoid of faith in love, family, and marriage. Against a backdrop of striking films of modern-day Tel Aviv, Warlikowski elicits gripping performances in this actor-driven work which includes some of ’s most celebrated actors. Tygodnik Powszechny (Poland) calls it “perfect in every respect. Beautiful, alluring, hypnotic, and sweet as poison.”

BAM will present four performances of Krum at the BAM Harvey Theater (651 Fulton Street) October 17–20 at 7:30pm. Tickets, priced at $20, 30, 35, and 45, may be purchased by calling BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 or online at BAM.org.

About Krum

The play begins with the return of Krum, the prodigal son, to the delight of his mother and friends. He returns home as a failure to a community suffering from widespread resignation, loneliness, and apathy. Krum soon succumbs to the pervasive malaise; he becomes a passive observer of the persistent rhythm of marriages, births, and funerals that have become so devoid of significance that weddings resemble wakes. The characters in Krum are willing to endure great sacrifice and humiliation to escape from their solitude, but time and again they surrender to passivity. Having lost all of his youthful passion, Krum is forced to confront his own mortality and unfulfilled desires instead of sinking further into a static life.

About the artists

Krzysztof Warlikowski, born in in 1962, has established himself on the cutting edge of contemporary theater. He has worked with some of the most renowned European directors including , , and . Warlikowski has a versatile body of work—from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, The Winter’s Tale, and Hamlet; to Sophocles’ Electra and Euripides’ The Phoenicians and The Bacchae; to Verdi’s Don Carlos. Warlikowski is best known for his staging of modern plays including Franz Kafka’s The Trial and Bernard-Marie Koltès’ Roberto Zucco and Quai Ouest. His 2002 production of Sarah Kane’s Cleansed at the Festival d’Avignon and the Festival de Théâtre des Amériques in Montreal received wide acclaim. He recently returned to the Festival d’Avignon directing ’s Angels in America with TR Warszawa. Warlikowski has directed throughout Poland, France, Italy, and Germany.

TR Warszawa is one of the most vital theater companies in Poland. Having toured throughout Europe, the company has won numerous awards at international theater festivals. Poland’s most prominent stage directors collaborate with TR Warszawa—Grzegorz Jarzyna (artistic director since 1998), Krzysztof Warlikowski, and Krystian Lupa—as well as the country’s most renowned actors,. The company is equally devoted to contemporary drama and to the reinterpretations of classic plays. Well-known new staging of classics include Shakespeare’s Hamlet (1999) and The Bacchae by Euripides (2001) under the direction of Warlikowski, as well as Prince Myshkin based on Dostoevsky’s The Idiot, (2000), and 2007: Macbeth (2005), both directed by Jarzyna. Other productions include two of Sarah Kane’s plays, Cleansed (2001) directed by Warlikowski and 4.48 Psychosis (2002) directed by Jarzyna, as well as Krystian Lupa’s production of Clara’s Relations (2003) by Dea Loher.

Hanoch Levin (1943-1999) was born in Tel Aviv to holocaust survivors who emigrated from Poland. Levin studied philosophy and Hebrew literature at Tel-Aviv University. He is considered one of Israel’s leading playwrights, having written a total 50 plays of which 34 were produced. His works include comedies, tragedies, and satiric cabarets, most of which he directed himself. Many of his works were staged at Tel-Aviv’s Cameri Theater where he also worked as a dramaturge. Levin first came to prominence in 1968 with the politically charged play You, Me and the Next War. His next play, The Queen of the Bathtub, was a sharp critique of Prime Minister Golda Meir and received nightly protests. After the government threatened to withdraw the theater’s state subsidies, the play was forced to close after eighteen performances. Upon his death, Prime Minister Ehud Barak called him “one of the greatest playwrights that Israel has ever had.” Levin was the recipient of numerous awards both in Israel and abroad, including the Bialik Prize in 1994.

About the Next Wave Festival

BAM’s Next Wave Festival, which enters its 25th season in 2007, has permanently changed the landscape of culture through breakout performances, landmark productions, daring experiments, and once-in-a-lifetime moments. The Festival originated as a fall series entitled “The Next Wave/New Masters.” In November 1981,

Philip Glass’ new opera, Satyagraha, was presented as one of four productions under the Next Wave moniker. A more ambitious series followed in 1982, including a two-evening performance work by Laurie Anderson— United States: Parts I-IV.

From the seeds of these two rich years grew an idea for something bolder and riskier. The Next Wave Festival, dedicated to exciting new works and cross-disciplinary collaborations by promising young artists, was launched in October 1983. Pieces that previously had been presented in downtown lofts and small “black box” theaters were staged in the exquisite 2,100-seat BAM Opera House (later renamed the Howard Gilman Opera House), a renovated 1,000-seat playhouse (the Helen Carey Playhouse, now home to BAM Rose Cinemas), and a flexible 300-seat performance venue (the Lepercq Space). In 1987, with Peter Brook’s The Mahabharata, BAM opened another large stage—the 900-seat Majestic Theater—since renamed the BAM Harvey Theater in honor of Harvey Lichtenstein (former president and executive producer). Since 1999, BAM has been led by President Karen Brooks Hopkins and Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo, who curates the Next Wave Festival and served as the producer of the inaugural festival.

Credits BAM 25th Next Wave Festival is sponsored by Altria Group, Inc. Programming in the BAM Harvey Theater is endowed by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Major support for Krum is provided by the Trust for Mutual Understanding, with additional support from the Polish Cultural Institute in New York and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland.

Leadership support for BAM Theater is provided by The Shubert Foundation, Inc., The SHS Foundation, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Francena T. Harrison Foundation Trust, with major support from Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, and additional support from Billy Rose Foundation, Inc.

BAM thanks its many donors and sponsors, including: New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council; Brooklyn Delegation of the U.S. House of Representatives; Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; New York State Council on the Arts; New York State Assembly Brooklyn Delegation; The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; New York City Council; Estate of Richard B. Fisher; The Ford Foundation; The New York State Music Fund; The Starr Foundation; Visa Signature; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; Carnegie Corporation of New York; Time Warner Inc.; Booth Ferris Foundation; The Howard Gilman Foundation; The Skirball Foundation; Cunard Line; The Kovner Foundation; The SHS Foundation; Friends of BAM & BAM Cinema Club. Sovereign Bank is the BAM Marquee sponsor. Yamaha is the official piano for BAM. R/GA is the BAM.org sponsor. New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is the official hotel for BAM.

General Information

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, BAMcafé, and Shakespeare & Co. BAMshop are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn’s only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafé, operated by Great Performances, is open for dining prior to Howard Gilman Opera House performances. BAMcafé also features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music for BAMcafé Live nights on Friday and Saturday with a special BAMcafé Live menu available starting at 8pm. Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, B to Atlantic Avenue; D, M, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette Avenue Train: Long Island Railroad to Flatbush Avenue Bus: B25, B26, B41, B45, B52, B63, B67 all stop within three blocks of BAM Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM

For ticket and BAMbus information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org.

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