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Generous support for the 2011–12 Friends of the MCA Stage Become a Friend of the MCA Stage season of MCA Stage is provided by Elizabeth A. Liebman, David Amphion Foundation, Inc. Support the voices and visions of Herro and Jay Franke, Susan and Katherine A. Abelson and our time by directly investing in Lew Manilow, Lois and Steve Eisen Robert J. Cornell the work of living artists. Our and The Eisen Family Foundation, Janet Alberti and Fred Schneider Friends of the MCA Stage receive Nancy Lauter McDougal and Alfred Leigh and Henry Bienen exclusive benefits such as L. McDougal, The Weasel Fund, The Boeing Company recognition in MCA Stage program Mary Ittelson, Carol Prins and Teddy Dean Boys notes, exclusive ticket offers, John Hart/The Jessica Fund, Ellen Greg Cameron invitations to receptions with the Stone Belic, and Richard and Ann The Consulate General of artists, and access to behind-the- Tomlinson. Poland in Chicago scenes rehearsals. Pamela Crutchfield Foundation Season Sponsor Shawn M. Donnelley and Become a Friend of the MCA Stage Christopher M. Kelly today by calling 312.397.3864. Lois and Steve Eisen and The Eisen Family Foundation Gale and Ric Fischer David Herro and Jay Franke Terri and Stephen Geifman Official Airline Bill and Vicki Hood Mary E. Ittelson Anne and John Kern Lisa Yun Lee In-Kind Equipment Sponsor Elizabeth A. Liebman Susan and Lew Manilow Nancy Lauter McDougal and Fred McDougal Susan Manning and Doug Doetsch Hotel Partner Maecenas Charles L. Michod and Susan A. Michod Herbert R. and Paula Molner Maya Polsky Sarai Hoffman and Stephen Pratt Elizabeth Price and Lou Yecies Carol Prins and John Hart/ The Jessica Fund Mr. and Mrs. John Seder Mr. and Mrs. Dan Sternberg Mr. & Mrs. Thomas C. Sheffield Jr. Ms. Patricia F. Sternberg Ellen Stone Belic MCA Chicago is a proud partner of Richard and Ann Tomlinson the National Performance Network. Pooja and Peter Vukosavich/ Studio V Design The Weasel Fund Angel Ysaguirre and Bob Webb Anonymous

As of September 13, 2011 remixed/ reimagined

On June 23, 2011, MCA Chicago Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson Gale and Ric Fischer celebrated the achievements of MCA Larry and Marilyn Fields Terri and Stephen Geifman Stage with the remixed/reimagined Walter and Karla Nicholas and Nancy Giampietro/ Performance Benefit. This Goldschmidt Foundation Reyes Holdings innovative evening was cochaired Jack and Sandra Guthman Paul and Linda Gotskind by MCA Trustee Sara Albrecht and Gretchen and Jay Jordan Paul Gray and Dedrea Armour Gray MCA Performance Committee member Kim and Brad Keywell Rachel and David Grund Jay Franke. Our sincere thanks to Robert M. and Diane v.S. Levy Caryn and King Harris all who contributed to the event Family Foundation Bill and Vicki Hood and to all who continue to support Sylvia Neil and Dan Fischel Cynthia Hunt and Philip Rudolph MCA Stage in its 15th season. Joseph G. Nicholas Foundation Susie Karkomi and Marvin Leavitt Donna and Howard Stone Anne and John Kern remixed/reimagined Host Committee Jamie and Rob Taylor Linda Kinzelberg Evening Benefactors Danielle and Martin E. Zimmerman Ron and Fifi Levin Sara Albrecht Lisa M. Key and Kevin Lint Lois and Steve Eisen Spotlight Supporters Suzanne Lovell, Inc. Jay Franke and David Herro Katherine A. Abelson and Stephen and Karen Malkin Susan and Lew Manilow Robert J. Cornell Susan Manning and Doug Doetsch Cari and Michael Sacks Jennifer Aubrey Barbara and Kent Manning Leigh and Henry Bienen Marquis and Pamela Miller Patron Sponsors Julie and Larry Bernstein Herbert R. and Paula Molner W. George and Margot Greig Deborah A. Bricker Abby O’Neil Mary Ittelson Suzette and Allan E. Bulley III Terry and Cynthia Perucca Anne Kaplan Maureen and Scott Byron Maya Polsky and Nicholas Bridon Sally Meyers Kovler and Meg and Tim Callahan Elizabeth Price and Lou Yecies Jonathan Kovler Marcia Cohn Sally and Ellis Regenbogen Rocco and Roxanne Martino Marge and Lew Collens Cheryl and John Seder Carol Prins and John Hart Patricia Cox Irving Stenn, Jr. UBS Pam Crutchfield Dorie Sternberg Helen and Sam Zell Nora Daley Conroy and Sean Conroy Patty Sternberg Dana and Stan Day Peggy and Jim Swartchild Spotlight Sponsors Ted and Julia DeNapoli Kathy Taslitz Mary Jo and Doug Basler Dirk Denison and David Salkin Richard and Ann Tomlinson

Ellen Stone Belic Dan and Nicole Drexler Kay and Craig Tuber Buckle Kristopher Photo: Robert and Sheryl Bellick Laura and Scott Eisen Peter and Pooja Vukosavich/ Marlene Breslow-Blitstein Sidney and Sondra Berman Epstein Studio V Design and Berle Blitstein Ginger Farley and Bob Shapiro Trudy and Jim Westerman Teatr ZAR Thursday– The Gospels of Sunday, Childhood Triptych March 29– April 1, 2012 Teatr ZAR

Artists Up Close Performance Programs, with The Gospels of Gospels of Childhood was This series brings together Teatr ZAR Director Jaroslaw Childhood Triptych First performed October 2003 for conceived as three parts but the twenty-fifth anniversary of MCA Stage artists with the Fret and his company mem- the Centre for Theatre Practices is performed sometimes as public for a variety of intimate bers. Project leader: Jaroslaw Fret “Gardzienice,” in Brzezinka, the separate works. The Overture conversations and training to forest base of The Centre for and Caesarean Section were Study of Jerzy Grotowski’s Work provide insight into the cre- Workshop: Flesh of Sound All songs are gathered and and for Cultural and Theatrical first performed in 2004, and ative process. Saturday and Sunday, arranged by the company: Research. Anhelli. The Calling was pre- March 31 and April 1, 11 Nini Julia Bang miered in 2009. Not linked in Talk: Pneumatics of an am–2 pm Ditte Berkeley Part 2: Caesarean Section. a narrative way, the parts of Actor: Theatre out of the This exceptional opportunity to Przemyslaw Blaszczak Essays on Suicide. the triptych connect essentially spirit of music train with Teatr ZAR, the resi- Daniel Cunningham Caesarean Section draws on through song. When performed Tuesday, March 27 dent company of the Grotowski Alessandro Curti the music of Corsica, interwo- together, associations, ellipses, As part of World Theatre Institute, is a deep investiga- Jaroslaw Fret ven with songs from Bulgaria, innuendos, and inferences in Day, the League of Chicago tion of sound and rhythm. The Kamila Klamut Romania, Iceland, and each part pick up each other’s Theatres hosted a talk by members guide participants Aleksandra Kotecka Chechnya as an exploration of collocations, as carillons or Jaroslaw Fret, who cofounded through their inimitable Balkan Matej Matejka the question of freedom and vibrating strings. Poland’s Teatr ZAR with fel- and Caucasus vocal patterns Ewa Pasikowska its limitations, of existential low members of the Grotowski and physical improvisation Tomasz Wierzbowski suffering, and of the torment of The running time is 180 minutes, Institute. A packed house to explore the connection of contemplated suicide. with two intermissions. No late heard Fret explain their unique physical rhythms to the breath Lighting: Bartosz Radziszewski seating. Recommended for artistic process, which draws as well as physical contact Company manager: Part 3: Anhelli. The Calling. mature audiences. from musical sources centered between partners. Participants Magdalena Madra The musical score for this on the Christian traditions are encouraged, but not tribute to Polish Romantic Support for the MCA Stage of the East and West hemi- required, to attend both ses- Presented in association with poet Juliusz Slowacki and his presentation is generously pro- spheres, and emphasizes sion days. Registration is $15 Goodman Theatre biblical poem titled “Anhelli” vided by the Consulate General breath as it relates to the act- per day, or $10 per day with a is inspired by Byzantine and of the Republic of Poland in ing practice. He also showed Teatr ZAR performance ticket. Part 1: Overture. Sardinian Paschal hymns. The Chicago. film and sound footage of Fragments on Intimations poem, about an Angel that ZAR’s investigative expeditions Saturday Speakeasy of Immortality from accompanies Anhelli on a jour- Teatr ZAR is supported by into Georgia, Greece, Corsica, March 31 Recollections of Early ney as his soul, is a meditation the Wroclaw City Council, the and Sardinia. Following the performance, Childhood. on life’s journey toward death Adam Mickiewicz Institute, audience members are invited Based the story of Martha, and the openness neces- and the Ministry of Culture First Night to mingle with the company in Mary, and Lazarus, from the sary to live and to die for our and National Heritage of the Thursday, March 29 the lobby, with a cash bar and little known apocryphal gos- humanity. Republic of Poland. Following the opening-night snacks available. pels, this overture to the trip- performance, audience tych ponders the “impossible First performed September 2009 at the Barbican Centre, London, members are invited to join story of resurrection” using a as part of the triptych for its an insightful discussion led musical structure based on the premiere at the Polska! Year, by Peter Taub, Director of polyphonic singing tradition of Great Britain. Georgia, Bulgaria, and Greece. About the artists Part I

Teatr ZAR and whose ideas had a great impact on Jerzy The Overture. Fragments on Intimations cultivates an ethos of ensemble work through a Grotowski—once wrote: “God created theatre for of Immortality from Recollections of Early long creative process, making original theatrical those for whom the church does not suffice.” Childhood. language based on music from numerous tradi- tions found in both the East and West. The com- ZAR underwent more than ten years of investiga- Teatr ZAR’s interest in gnostic elements from pany is a multinational group that was formed in tive research and development into ancient the beginning of Christianity provided the initial Sunday Morning by Nikolai Nikolaevich Ge (1831–94), Wroclaw, Poland, by apprentices of the Grotowski sacred songs in making the triptych. They per- impulse for the Gospels of Childhood proj- postcard published at the beginning of the twenti- Institute during annual research expeditions to formed the complete work, in three parts, for the ect. The performance itself oscillates between eth century Georgia between 1999 and 2003. During these first time in 2009 at the Barbican Centre, London. two threads: the story of Lazarus’s resuscita- expeditions, the apprentices collected much They have toured with the triptych to Los Angeles, tion evoked through the mouths of his sisters musical material, including a core of centuries-old Wroclaw, Florence, and San Francisco, and per- Marta and Maria (Martha and Mary), and “the Marta/Maria: Ditte Berkeley/Kamila Klamut polyphonic songs that have their roots in the formed separate parts in Athens, Edinburgh, testimony of Mary Magdalene,” who, accord- And: Nini Julia Bang, Przemyslaw Blaszczak, beginning of the human era and are probably the Madrid, Beograd, Budapest, Paris, Cairo, Seoul, ing to some gnostic sources, held an important Daniel Cunningham, Alessandro Curti, Jaroslaw oldest forms of polyphony in the world. and New Delhi. position among the apostles and was in fact Fret, Aleksandra Kotecka, Matej Matejka, Ewa Lazarus’s sister. Among the texts included in Pasikowska, Tomasz Wierzbowski Zar is the name of the funeral songs performed Since 2011, ZAR has been working on the proj- the performance are scarcely known apocry- Project leader: Jaroslaw Fret by the Svaneti tribe who inhabit the high regions ect Armine, which is dedicated to Armenian cul- phal gospels such as that of Mary Magdalene, Lighting: Bartosz Radziszewski of the Caucasus in northwestern Georgia. ture and is being realized through expeditions Philip, and Thomas, and fragments by Fyodor and studies of Armenian tradition and history. Dostoevsky and Simone Weil. Let Hermann Hesse speak: Teatr ZAR attempts to demonstrate that theater To date the company has traveled to Istanbul, There is nothing in this world, that I believe in does not only relate to thea (Greek for “seeing”) Erevan, and Jerusalem, meeting with locals and ZAR collected the songs used in the per- more deeply, no other manifestation is more but is something that above all should be heard. sometimes participating in workshops with formance during its expeditions to Georgia, holier for me than that of Unity—the belief that From such hearing, deep images are born that Armenian choir members, other vocalists, and Bulgaria, and Greece between 1999 and 2003. the whole world is the divine Unity, and that all would be impossible to create even by means of musicians. Aram Kerovpyan, leader of AKN, Of particular significance was its work with the the suffering, all the evil are a consequence of the most modern theater technology—images Armenian Choir in Paris, is a key research col- Svaneti people who live in the highest part of the fact that we—individuals—do not feel any- where the body of a singing actor shines and laborator for the project. The world premiere of the Caucasus Mountains. As part of an age-old more that we are inseparable parts of the unity, emanates with the energy of sound, of the song Armine is planned for fall 2013. tradition, these tribal people have kept alive that the ‘self’ claims too much significance . . . that lies within. Performances are just part of a their funeral songs, which are identified as the long process of research, expeditions, personal The company is Nini Julia Bang, Ditte Berkeley, oldest form of polyphony in Georgia, and most It has never been easy for me, and no one explorations, and transformation. Przemysław Blaszczak, Emma Bonnici, Daniel likely the world. The project’s second musical has less talent for holiness than me; and yet Cunningham, Alessandro Curti, Jaroslaw Fret, plot comprises liturgical songs from the Eastern I have constantly encountered that miracle, Work by ZAR members addresses themes that in Kamila Klamut-Pawlik, Aleksandra Kotecka, Orthodox monastic republic of Athos. These which Christian theologians so beautifully call the contemporary world have been seemingly Matej Matejka, Magdalena Madra, Maciej Madry, songs, connected to the Pascha (Easter) period, ‘Grace’—that divine experience of making peace, reserved for the religious domain. ZAR’s convic- Ewa Pasikowska, Bartosz Radziszewski, Joshua build the end part of the performance—the con- of surrender and awareness, which is nothing tion is influenced by the Polish Romantic ideal Roberts, Simona Sala, Orest Sharak, and solamentum. else but the Christian offering of ‘self’ or Hindu wherein art complements religion and, crucially, Tomasz Wierzbowski. knowledge of Unity . . . fills the dynamic chasm between the everyday The Gospels of Childhood Triptych tells the “late and transcendent life. Juliusz Osterwa, one of the For more information about Teatr ZAR, contact: story of the flesh”—after love, after humiliation, Unity, the one I cherish—wrapped in the veil greatest figures of twentieth-century Polish the- Magdalena Madra after death—an impossible story of resurrection. of multiplicity—is never boring, bleak, cerebral, ater who tried to put these ideas into practice— [email protected] nor a theoretical unity. This is pure life, full of Georgian icon

in one laudatory voice and all that liveth has discovered the body, and whoever has Verses (Part I) and hath lived exclaims “Just and true art. discovered the body, of that one the world Thou, O Lord, for Thy ways are made is not worthy. 1. Closing plain.” Always late, time-lacking; we still arrive It may very well be, perhaps, that when Psalm 103 in Greek too late to understand. I reach the moment in my life at which I see it, or rise up from the dead in order 7. Crying of Miriam of Magdala Cmidao Ghmerto, chant from Sioni Church, to do so, I myself may exclaim with all the Yet, when you see your likeness you are Tblisi, Georgia rest “Just and true art. Thou, O Lord!”, happy. But when you see your images that but it is something I do not want to do. came to being before you and that neither 2. Infinity I want to be here when everyone suddenly die nor become visible, how much will This voice has lived here for two discovers why it has all been the way it you bare? thousand years. has. I want to see it for myself, and Be brave. And even if you doubt if by that time I am already dead, then let have courage towards such or other forms It looks as though I’m already on the right me be raised up again. of nature. games, torment and laughter. That unity was track. So let me tell you that in the last God giveth you a body as it hath pleased represented by the God Shiva, who danced with analysis, this world of Gods—I don’t 3. The Dream of Mary Magdalene him. All flesh is not the same flesh: the world until it fell into pieces, and it was also accept it, even though I know that it A dark dream, slicing it by knife but there is one flesh of men, another represented in many other images since it never exists. Upalo Jeso Christe (Christ have mercy on us), flesh of beasts, another of fishes and abhors any representation nor comparison . . . chant from Sioni Church, Tblisi, Georgia another of birds. There are also celestial Like a young babe, I am convinced that bodies and bodies terrestrial: but the glory . . . This is what life is for me: flowing between our sufferings will be healed and smoothed 4. Calling Death—the Journey of the celestial is one and the glory of the two distinct poles, journeying back and forth away, that the whole offensive comedy of The Logos comes out of the mouth. terrestrial is another. There is one glory between two pillars supporting the world. I wish human conflict will disappear like And whoever feeds from the mouth will of the sun, and another glory of the moon, I could constantly point out to the spiritual mul- a pathetic mirage, and that, ultimately, be perfected. The perfect are conceived and another glory of the stars: for one star tiplicity of the world and constantly remind that during the universal finale, at the moment through a kiss, and are born. This is why differeth from another star in glory. at the basis of this multiplicity there lies Unity of eternal harmony, there will occur and we kiss one another. So also is the resurrection. itself . . . become manifest something so precious that it will be sufficient for all hearts, Romelni Kerubimstasa (who looks like the Amin, excerpt from Georgian liturgy I will never make both poles of life come closer, for the soothing of all indignation, cherubin), chant from Sioni Church, Tiblisi, I will never be able to write the double voice the redemption of all men’s evil-doings, all Georgia 8. It is necessary to rise in this flesh, notation of life’s melody. And yet, driven by a the blood that has been shed by them, will since everything exists in it mysterious command, I will follow my inner be sufficient not only to make it possible 5. Wake up Some are afraid lest they rise naked. voice and will constantly renew such attempts. to forgive but even to justify all the things Because of this they wish to rise in the That’s a spring that makes my clock tick. that have happened to men—and eve if 6. Blessed is the Womb that flesh, and they do not know that it is those all of that becomes manifest and becomes has not conceived who wear the flesh who are naked. It is (Hermann Hesse, Theme of Unity) reality, I will not accept it. those who [...] to unclothe themselves who I understand what a shaking must rend Blessed is the womb that has not conceived are not naked. You say that the flesh will the universe when all that is in heaven and the breasts that have not given milk. not rise. But tell me what will rise, that we and under the earth flows together Whoever has come to know the world may honour you. You say the Spirit in the Fragments on Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood by Maria Stozek

not died. flesh, and it is also this light in the flesh. A czemuż by Cię nie chwalił. If Thou hadst been here my brother had But this too is a matter which is in the Wielu snem śmierci upadło, not died. flesh, for whatever you shall say, you say Co się wczoraj spać pokładło. If Thou hadst been here.” nothing outside the flesh. My się jeszcze obudzili . . . It is necessary to rise in this flesh, since Kyrie Eleison, excerpt from Gerogian liturgy, everything exists in it. 13. Healing of Miriam Sioni Church, Tblisi, Georgia –Lord, dost though not care that my sister Sometimes I cannot restrain myself from Cmidao Ghmerto and Kriste hath left me to serve alone? recalling, with fear and guilt, fragments of 18. Jesus’s Lamentation—ZAR Ardsgam Kwdretit, Svanetian paschal hymns Szen Giga Lobt, excerpt from Georgian liturgy what he had told me. –Do not touch me. He said, do not touch 19. Consolamentum—a Letter 9. The Youth in Linen Robe leaves 14. Stoning me. When I was a little child, And dwelling in my kingdom, 10. Hesyhkia 15. Przybądźcie z nieba na głos naszych 17. A certain Man was sick, named In my father’s house, –Where do you come from murderer? modlitw Lazarus, of Bethany; J, 11 and was content with the wealth and the Where are you going vagabond? Mieszkańcy chwały wszyscy Święci Boży. –A certain man was sick, named luxuries of my nourishes, –That which oppressed me has been slain Z obłoków jasnych zejdźcie aniołowie, Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary from the East, our home, And that which encircled me has Z rzeszą zbawionych spieszcie na and her sister Martha. my parents equipped me (and) sent me vanished. spotkanie. –It was that Mary which anointed the forth; My craving has faded and I am free from Anielski orszak niech twą duszę przyjmie. Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet and of the wealth of our treasury my ignorance. Uniesie z ziemi ku wyżynom nieba, with her hair, whose brother Lazarus they took abundantly, (and) tied up for I left the world with the aid of another A pieśń zbawionych niech ją zaprowadzi, was sick. me a load world. Aż przed oblicze Boga Najwyższego. –Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, large and (yet) light, which I myself could A design was erased by virtue of a higher and Lazarus. carry, design. 16. Preparation. Second. Therefore his sisters sent unto him, And they took off from me the glittering –I did not see you descend, Another attempt to visit the grave saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou robe, But now I see you rising. lovest is sick. Which in their affection they made for me, Why do you lie, since you belong to me? –He promised to teach me, but he didn’t –When Jesus came, he found that he had and the purple toga, –I saw you, though you did not see me, teach me anything. lain in the grave four days already. Which was measured and woven to my nor recognise me. Sometimes he stopped speaking and from Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, stature. I was with you as with a garment, and a shelf on the wall took some bread, which about fifteen furlongs off. And they made a compact with me, you never felt me. we shared. This bread had a real taste of –Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus And wrote it in my heart, that it might bread. Never after have I felt this taste. was come, went and met him, but Mary not be forgotten: Dzwiragi I Kwiria, Svanetian songs He poured me and himself wine which sat still in the house. Then said Martha “If thou goest down into Egypt, had a taste of sun and earth from which ‘Lord, if thou hadst been here, my and bringest the one pearl.” 11. Preparation. First this place had been built. brother had not died’ He promised to teach me, but didn’t teach –When she had so said, she went her way, Megistis Pascha, Byzantine chant from Athos 12. End of Wedding me anything. and called Mary her sister secretly. A człowiek, który bez miary One day he told me “Now leave.” I never When Mary was come where Jesus was, 20. Raising the light. Easter Tropawrion Obsypany twymi dary tried to find him since I understood that and saw him, she said unto him: from Athos Christos anesti Coś go stworzył i ocalił he had come to me by mistake. “If Thou hadst been here my brother had Let them be born for one childhood. For everyone shall be salted with fire. Teatr ZAR poster by Part II Bartosz Radziszewski

Caesarean Section. Essays on Suicide. After many others, yes indeed, but how eager is a bit smaller than heaven. they were to get out of them! At that last cross- Otherwise we would fearfully fall asleep The title of this performance is a metaphor for road where thought hesitates, many men have during a prayer. suicidal compulsion and the involuntary force arrived and even some of the humblest. They that pulls us back from the brink. then abdicated what was most precious to them, 4. Suicides’ Catwalk their life. Others, princes of the mind, abdicated People are afraid of God, therefore they go Caesarean Section’s musical structure was likewise, but they initiated the suicide of their to heaven. There is a special section there developed from a base of polyphonic Corsican thought in its purest revolt. The real effort is to for circus performers who can fly. songs, into which Bulgarian, Romanian, stay there, rather, in so far as that is possible, Icelandic, and Chechen songs have been and to examine closely the odd vegetation of JESUS CHRIST IS ALSO woven. Its subtle power and energy owes a those distant regions. Tenacity and acumen are A CIRCUS PERFORMER. debt to composer Erik Satie and his discovery privileged spectators of this inhuman show in of the intensity that can be transmitted by each Project Leader: Jaroslaw Fret which absurdity, hope, and death carry on their 5. Infection. First. and every drop of sound. Through contact with Music Collaboration: Mariana Sadowska dialogue. The mind can then analyze the figures A man. A woman. A table. An eye. and integration into this contemporary theater Collaboration on the Movement Score: Vivien of that elementary yet subtle dance before illus- A woman stoops. So does the man. piece, the traditional music material becomes Wood trating them and reliving them itself. And now: this does not exist. transformed and takes on a new form, becom- Lighting: Bartosz Radziszewski A woman and a man. A table. An eye. ing seamlessly interwoven with intensive move- (Albert Camus, Absurdity and Suicide) Everything is just a language. ments by the performers. ZAR also acknowl- Let Albert Camus speak: A story. edges the great literary influence of Aglaya Verses (Part II) Veteranyi on this work. There is but one truly serious philosophical 6. To remove my skin problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether 1. Overture Right on the floor. The world has stuck During the research process, members of ZAR life is or is not worth living amounts to answer- The glass bell of a heart. It pounds to me. Square miles of skin. Continents made several trips to Corsica in search of new ing the fundamental question of philosophy. All within and never misses. When it tolls of skin. Under your watchful eye I learn material for the emerging musical score. Their the rest—whether or not the world has three we never know whether it is by mistake; from snakes. active participation in paschal liturgy in Tox near dimensions, whether the mind has nine or is it just a joke perhaps? Bastia represented a pivotal moment. Therefore twelve categories—comes afterwards. These 7. Engagement (to a knife) the climax of the performance is characterized are games; one must first answer . . . These are 2. Tenderness. Conversation by by the liturgical music of Corsican confraterni- facts the heart can feel; yet they call for careful spilled wine. 8. Infection. Second. ties. While the score’s basic “tectonics” are study before they become clear to the intellect We had no language between us. grounded in Corsican music, they have been . . . We stay dead much longer than alive, thus Only words. interwoven with Bulgarian cries, calls, and as the dead we need much more luck. incantations to enhance the musical dramaturgy. In a man’s attachment to life there is something 9. Dream. Miscarriage. stronger than all the ills in the world. The body’s Gnossienne III, Erik Satie A glass bell. A tiny bell. And color Women: Ditte Berkeley/Kamila Klamut judgment is as good as the mind’s and the body of unborning. Man: Matej Matejka shrinks from annihilation. We get into the habit 3. Opening of Heaven And: Nini Julia Bang, Przemyslaw Blaszczak, of living before acquiring the habit of thinking. In I imagine Heaven. It is so insurmountable 10. Tango Alessandro Curti, Daniel Cunningham, Jaroslaw that race which daily hastens us toward death, that immediately I fall asleep to Fret, Aleksandra Kotecka, Ewa Pasikowska, the body maintains its irreparable lead. comfort myself. 11. Suicides’ Heaven. Why am I not Tomasz Wierzbowski When awake again I know that God an Angel. The Triumph of Death (detail) in Camposanto, Part III Pisa by Buonamico Buffalmacco

Most of everything happens without us Anhelli. The Calling. anyway. God has heart full of the Dead. A tribute to Polish Romantic poet Juliusz This is dreaming through sound. Slowacki and his journey from Naples to the Holy Land, via Alexandria, Cairo, and 15. Taming the Madness Damascus, during which he wrote Anhelli. He knocked on the door. The performance’s musical core is based on Byzantine and Sardinian hymns as well as Nothing. Orthodox Irmoi. One angel dressed up as an angel and no one recognized him. He entered. Anhelli’s theme is one that resonates with the Draft from Caesarean Section. Essays on Suicide by Another fell from heaven and broke into Maria Stozek essence of theater and its place in this world. It pieces. One saw brightness only. is a theme of unity and disintegration of life, of Another foreign angel became a believer I have cooked light for dinner. Kyrie Eleison, Corsica corporality, of our own selves. It is a theme of and drowned in a bathtub. possession. Of making a vessel for the other, In Heaven they stuff dead angels and Eat! 17. Toasts for a stranger’s life, even a future life, out of our hang them on a wall. The color of soul smeared own selves. This is a theme of being possessed I prefer to stay immortal. God wrinkled his nose. This would not on this side of sky. by an angel. be the first time when he would ruin his And the glass ash. 12. Infection. Third. stomach with light. Rain. How can we provide an angel with transit through a human body; how can we let that Five Unwise Maidens asked Wise Eat! 18. Catatonia angel live there for a moment? In what musical Maiden for oil. I do not scream. form? In what vibration? When we give you our oil then it won’t Hmmm, said God. What? Hmm. I have rejected my mouth. be enough for us and you. We live in cathedrals of our own bodies, with It won’t be enough for us and you. Zachary’s Chant, sung in Corsica on Good Gnossienne I, Erik Satie ornamentation and gilded facades, where Friday placement and relations with others are of the 13. Suicides’ Cinema utmost importance. But Anhelli calls for small 16. My Body a Tear country wooden churches where we can remain 14. Dream. Illumination. In each new town I make a pit in the enclosed in aloneness. Closed within. Instead I love you, I said. This sounds like ground under our circus caravan, then put of cathedrals—small temples of the heart; small a farewell, she replied, you’d better my hand in there, and then the head and churches of the body; chapels and meeting get under the covers. then I listen. halls. Where we can call the spirit of our forefa- Let’s tell the beloved God a story How God breathes under the ground and thers; call the Angels. Their wings are not snow so he is not upset when I come. chews. Sometimes I wish to dig through white, rather the ash-gray of ebbing souls. With this she always managed to him, though I am afraid that he might to tempt me. bite me. We need to involve our entire inner being, our Does he personally receive everyone? entire life force to create a vast space inside, How would I know, I don’t remember GOD IS ALWAYS HUNGRY. create a void as empty as a Siberian abyss. So him saying goodbye. empty that it sucks in. Floor of the Iviron Monastery, Athos, tenth-eleventh century

Sit on a low stool since early morning, bring Greek Hymn, fragment of Great Compline, II Anhelli: Matej Matejka your mind from the head to the heart, focus it Plagal Mode Ellenai/Eloe: Ditte Berkeley/Kamila Klamut and hold it there. Deeply bent, until you feel And: Nini Julia Bang, Przemyslaw Blaszczak, intense pain in your chest, shoulders and neck, 3. Prayer of shining Flesh/Bodies Daniel Cunningham, Alessandro Curti, Jaroslaw call persistently in your thought or in your soul: Fret, Aleksandra Kotecka, Ewa Pasikowska, Kýrie Iesú Christé, eléesón me! 4. Tobias and the Angel Tomasz Wierzbowski [. . .] In your breath abides the Holy Spirit Project Leader: Jaroslaw Fret Hold as well the movement of your breath, so Lighting: Bartosz Radziszewski that you do not breathe easily. After all, a breath Irmos Bogoroditse Dievo of air, coming from the heart, dulls your mind The prānas (sense-organs) disputed among and stimulates the intellect. It leads the mind 5. Nuptial Chamber. The Sacrament. themselves about who was the best [among away from the heart, leading to oblivion, or Awake, north wind and come, you south! them], [each] saying: “I am the best,” “I am the guides it from one thing to the other so, before it Blow on my garden, that its spices may best.” becomes aware of the peril, it finds that, what it flow out. should not. (Fragment of Ash-Wednesday by Thomas Let my beloved come into his garden, Then as the vital breath was about to depart, he Stearns Eliot) and taste his precious fruits. [. . .] uprooted the organs [from their places] just as a (St. Gregory of Sinai) I was asleep, but my heart was awake. noble horse tears up the pegs to which its feet 1. The Storm I have taken off my robe. Indeed, must are tied. They came to him and said: “Revered Some say that prayer is better than memory of Behold our hearts fatigued worse than I put it on? Sir, be thou our lord; thou art the best among us. death; I praise them both, since, by nature, they the bodies. I have washed my feet. Indeed, must Do not depart from us.” are one. Behold the bells tolling after the dead I soil them prophet! Then the organ of speech said to him: “That (St. John Climacus) Behold the Angelus for those who do (Song of Songs, 4,16; 5,2; 5,3) attribute of being most excellent which I pos- not see the sun. sess is thine.” Verses (Part III) And behold! They rise . . . They have 6. I need that goddamn Miracle Then the eye said: “That attribute of firmness risen from the dead, AMIN which I possess is thine.” Because I know that time is always time but they cannot roll the stones away . . . And place is always and only place May those who have the soul rise! Have you not taken on the flesh? Then the ear said: “That attribute of prosperity And what is actual is actual only for one May they live! Does the pain not gnaw at you and the which I possess is thine.” time For this is the time of living but for death not scare? Then the mind said: “That attribute of being the And only for one place the strong. Does not your mother bear you? That abode which I possess is thine.” I rejoice that things are as they are and once there rose within you I renounce the blessed face Irmos of Holy Friday the memory, with terror of the ’ere Genesian And people do not call them the organs of And renounce the voice graveyard . . . speech, the eyes, the ears, or the mind, but the Because I cannot hope to turn again 2. Communion of Saints. Jerusalem prānas. The prāna alone is all these. Consequently I rejoice, having to construct of the Sun. (Juliusz Slowacki, The Ghost King, variation of something Tread lightly for this ground ’tis but a the text 247b) (Chhāndogya Upanishad vi 6, 12, 13, 14, 15) Upon which to rejoice vast graveyard. Nothing has hurt you According to hopes Draft from Anhelli, The Calling by Maria Stozek

. . . Na odludnej wieży You need to go through that which you do I will turn silent and thus will heed what Twój trup—rzucony przez krwawych not possess. my God and my Lord speaks in me. rycerzy To reach that which you do not know, And if he wishes to (make me the object of Gnije . . . i węże skoczyły na ciało. You need to go through that which you do his words) (speak to me), let him enter A w dalekości—duchów tajemnica [. . .] not know. my inner being because I won’t come out. Łąki mgłą ćmione…przesrebrna To reach that which you are not . . . gwiaździca You need to go through that which you (Paraphrases of Master Eckhart’s On Srebrną swą strzałą rani i przenika. are not. Aloneness) Garnki płaczebne . . . i koń wojownika, Słowiańskie dary zwykłe… błyskawica (Paraphrase of Mount of Excellence by St. John CUNTEMPLA CORO INDURANDU Stosów, co lasy sosnowe rumieni . . . of the Cross according to the drawing by Diego SU LAMENTU DE MARIA Pieśń wzlatująca ponad huk płomieni— de Astor) Dla innych. Pamięć twoja pogardzona, Paschal chant from Orosei, Sardinia Otherwise kill me Pod głową wieniec z gadzin czoło WE, FILLED WITH SPIRIT . . ., chłodzi . . . 12. Awaiting. Proskomide. (Fragments of Prayer Before Birth by Louis Fragment of the service Three Young Men in I am not yet born; O hear me. McNeice) Your angel rises, breathes (departs). the Fiery Furnace from the 2406 manuscript of Let not the bloodsucking bat or the rat the Greek National Library, transcribed by M. or the stoat or the club-footed ghoul come Irmos, for Dormition of Theotokos (Juliusz Slowacki, The Ghost King, variation of Adamis near me. the text 244) I am not yet born, console me. The angel of the Lord announced 9. Gift of Tongues I fear that the human race may with tall unto Mary. Miserere, fragment of Paschal chant from VENI SANCTE SPIRITUS walls wall me, with strong drugs dope me, And she conceived by the Holy Cugliere, Sardinia with wise lies lure me, on black racks rack Spirit. Fragment of Missa Vultum Tuum, Corsica me, in blood-baths roll me. 7. Sarah’s Prayer. The Calling. [ . . .] Behold the handmaid of the Lord. –And thus possessed I am with your 10. Let us place Three Crosses I am not yet born; O hear me, Be it unto me according to your breath, Let us place three crosses in imitation Let not the man who is beast or who Word. That keeps wake beyond the edge of of the suffering of our Lord and on thinks he is God come near me. grave those three let us nail three soldiers I am not yet born; O fill me And the Word was made flesh. And grows where angels’ wings would each most virulent in his own company, With strength against those who would And dwelt among us. come and the one whose life will last the freeze my humanity, would dragoon me longest, with him the victory. into a lethal automaton, would make me Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray Romelni Kerubimtasa, Hymn from Sioni Church, a cog in a machine, a thing with one face, for us sinners, now and at the Tblisi, Georgia Ieso, paschal chant from Castelsardo, Sardinia a thing, and against all those who would hour of our death. dissipate my entirety, would blow me like 8. Meeting 11. The Column of Death thistledown hither and thither or hither Amen. To reach that which you do not recognize, –The fastest animal that you can ride and thither like water held in the hands You need to go through that which you do towards excellence: suffering. would spill me. not recognize. –Audiam, quid loquantur in me Dominus Let them not make me a stone and let To reach that which you do not possess, Deus. them not spill me. Commentary

Breathing as one From its inception, Teatr ZAR’s aim has By Maria Shevtsova, Goldsmiths, been to connect with the oldest traditions of University of London. music, rooted in Christianity, so as to reach the past. Teatr ZAR takes audiences on a journey of polyphonic sound where compact simplic- By doing this, performers and audiences come ity penetrates through and through, uniting towards something bigger than themselves: they mind, body and soul as one. transcend their ego, one might say, and achieve, through the chain of generations embodied So complete is this call upon the wholeness in song and passed on across time, some- of human being that, at the end of a ZAR per- thing like an openness of spirit that calibrates formance, listeners-spectators sit in silence, their present. It is perhaps for this reason that touched by grace. Applause at such a moment Jarosław Fret, the leader of ZAR, believes that of profound spiritual illumination for some, of our relationship with the past is of uppermost contemplation for others and of something pal- importance, allowing us to understand who we pable but indefinable for still more, would seem are, as part of humanity. He certainly believes, to be nothing short of sacrilege. The performers as did his great compatriot, director and theatre leave, never to come back for the bows and researcher, Jerzy Grotowski, that theatre has its other such ceremonies of theatregoing. But, in deepest sources in song; and this makes sing- the quiet, the energy they have released in the ing indispensible for the creation of theatre work. space is active, weaving between the members Lipinska Irena Photo: of the audience, as it had done during the perfor- Singing is fundamental for generating energy, the story of Lazarus, Mary and Martha from the The liturgical quality of sound and movement in mance, until they break its enveloping flow and and is a means of exploring the emotions hid- Gospel according to St John in Gospels from Gospels of Childhood, for instance, is sustained leave, in their turn. From start to finish, a ZAR den somewhere deep inside performers. But it Childhood. At other times, speech, frequently as by the different resonances of bells and gongs, performance can be a momentous experience. also frees these emotions, which the listeners- a solo voice, anticipates a strong instrumental spaced very carefully through the work. Actions spectators recognise and catch imperceptibly, or vocal sequence, as happens in Caesarean of washing, which are full of biblical associa- The group was formed between 1999 and 2003 as if through their very pores. Theatre in such Section. Or else it works in tandem with a move- tions, strengthen its ritual aura. Caesarean when it undertook expeditions to Georgia in conditions is, for ZAR, the point where people’s ment duo—movement duets being typical of Section, by contrast, has the dynamics of dance search of what are probably the oldest poly- lives meet. the triptych—which requires great precision theatre and, for all its fleeting moments of deli- phonic forms in the world. Here, through the oral and timing together with acrobatic skill. Then, cate humour, has, in moments, the raw power of transmission of master to pupils, it learned ‘Zar’, ZAR does not merely reproduce the songs again, it is used minimally for dramatic effect. tragedy. Its musical structure is more complex funeral songs more than 2,000 years old and in it uses, but adapts them to the scenes In all cases, speech, like movement and instru- than that of Gospels, the latter’s theme of resur- a forgotten language of the Svaneti people, who developed though movement or with instru- mental music, is an integral part of the patterns rection having now been replaced, once again inhabit north-western Georgia. These and other mental music played by the same perform- of breathing established, in the first instance, in fractured pieces, by the existential agony polyphonic songs and chants gathered principally ers who sing. through song. of suicide. Anhelli is essentially a mystery, from Bulgaria, Greece, Corsica and, more recently, albeit inspired by Polish Romantic poet Juliusz Sardinia provided the material for the group’s It could be cello, accordion, piano and an occa- The quality of these patterns changes for the Slowacki’s journey to the Holy Land. This work triptych, Gospels of Childhood (2003), Caesarean sional wind instrument or saw taken from folk various fragments that make up each part of has the hush, the misterium, appropriate for a Section/Essays on Suicide (2007) and Anhelli/ music. Spoken texts are added, sometimes in the triptych and changes, as well, with what subject dealing with possession by an angel. The Calling, which premieres in 2009. counterpoint to music or song, as happens with emerges as the overall character of each part. Flames of burning candles contribute to the Dance Music Armitage Gone! Dance Drastic Classicism and Three Theories Apr 26–28, 2012 Photo: Ken Reynolds Ken Photo:

special atmosphere of ZAR performances, yet they also give light, both physically and figu- ratively. The performers are totally focused on what they are doing and are acutely aware of their partnerships with each other as they sing, play, move and speak. Their group harmony is, indeed, in the spirit of music, inviting audience members to breathe with them, as one.

Maria Shevtsova is Professor of Drama and Theatre Arts at Goldsmiths, University of “Dance that explodes in London, and Editor of New Theatre Quarterly. Reprinted with permission from the author. First every sense, dazzles the published in the Barbican Centre program eye, and remains vividly for Gospels of Childhood, London 2009. imprinted in your memory.” Le Nouvel Observateur

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