Song from Beyond the Dark dariusz kosin´ s k i 1 documentation: to take part in the work, The project Gospels of Childhood carried out by expeditions, workshops and consecutive Jarosław Fret together with Theatre ZAR is presentations. Otherwise we are condemned to heading towards the end. Gradually the number partial solutions, such as this attempt – highly of presentations is being limited, while the team subjective and uncertain even as to the factual is in an advanced stage of work on another material. performance and, as a matter of course, moves to I emphasize this uncertainty in order to reduce quite another adventure. Despite the long, possible expectations of the reader, as well as to five-year period of realization and presentation find and prepare for myself a comfortable in various versions, Gospels of Childhood has position from which to talk about Gospels. Thus been discussed mostly in vague reviews and the first – and crucial – action I should take, but occasional remarks. Admittedly, in this desert, am unable to, is a comprehensive description of one exception did blossom in the form of the project. This is a severe limitation, though Agnieszka Pietkiewicz’s thesis, Promieniowanie quite often unrecognized and underestimated. pamie¸ci. Ewangelie Dziecin´stwa Teatru ZAR Theatre ZAR situates itself among the ensembles [‘Radiation of Memory: Theatre ZAR’s Gospels of acting in the field whose name has been perhaps Childhood’] written at the Adam Mickiewicz most pertinently defined by Eugenio Barba: University in Poznan´. But this valuable work is theatre-culture. Its actions do not fall under the known to only a narrow circle of scholars and division of ‘artistic’, ‘preparatory’ and thus cannot be deemed to have influenced the ‘administrative’, just as its work does not divide performance’s reception to any degree. into what is connected with the performance and It may be said, therefore, that Polish theatre ‘other’. Gospels of Childhood is not just a title of criticism has overlooked Gospels and the performance, it is also the name of a whole disregarded an important phenomenon, which project, which comprises work sessions with a deserves more careful attention. It is an ambition variety of artists, workshops conducted by the of this text to fill the gap – at least partially. Alas team members for apprentices and guests, and this cannot substitute for the all the absent expeditions – including the most important: to voices; to give one of the reasons, it is written Georgia (Svaneti), Greece (Mount Athos) and Iran from just one point of view, mine, bringing along (district of the community of the Mandeans). every limitation a personal ‘history’ of Within this large perspective, a work of art – a encounters with Gospels imposes. In order to performance – does not have to be a main goal for write about the project in full, and more in line its creators. Rather, it serves as a reason for the with academic standards, one would need to go to work, as a unifying force of many different great lengths of almost day-to-day actions, essential for directing and ordering 60 Performance Research 13(2), pp.60-75 © Taylor & Francis Ltd 2008 DOI: 10.1080/13528160802639318 them, but not necessarily influencing the value Gospels at all times, since it is a work that – like of the experience. Even from a guest’s an increasing number of contemporary theatre perspective, one is able to obtain an impression pieces – changes constantly, thus making it that reaching Svaneti and the encounter with the impossible for us to determine a point from tradition of funeral songs ‘zar’ was much more which to regard it as ‘ready’. Such is, of course, important an event that any acclaim or the nature of any performative action: while admiration after the performance. It is zar (and it remaining always a repetition, a re-enactment, it is not an accident that the ensemble took this as is at the same time a unique act, happening only its name) that is the most precious treasure and now, in this particular way, in these given the jewel of the whole project, not only as an circumstances, between itself and each spectator exceptionally powerful song but also as the fruit or witness. In this sense a theatre piece or a of a particular tradition and the intertwined performance does not exist – it happens. These cultural practices, and as a possible source for observations, however basic, are often forgotten further transformations and development. or blurred in everyday theatrical and critical Judging from Jarosław Fret’s speeches, given on practice. Theatres call for, and audiences accept, presenting documentation of the expeditions and the existence of a generalized theatre work that Songs from Beyondwork the Dark on the performance, one might gain an serves as a kind of a universal model for each impression that for him the personal encounter particular spectacle. However, not only does with Svanetian culture has been an invaluable Gospels not hide the differences between experience. particular versions, it even necessitates facing In contemporary performative arts we deal them and asking the fundamental question: what increasingly with a situation where a work of art, was the performance you saw like, given that you an artistic product, is one of many elements of a say you have seen it? complex process or a complex project. This, Here, it is necessary to refer to the personal naturally, has always been the case, but in the experience: I have seen Fret’s performance eight Western theatre tradition it has always been the times, of which five took place in the ‘forest site’ performance that constituted a culmination of the Grotowski Institute, in Brzezinka, some point that governed material-collecting, training, forty kilometres from Wrocław. Therefore, it is rehearsals, etc. In the case of multi-stage and my own account, which other spectators do not complex projects such as Gospels, creating such have to be familiar with at all. A good many of a hierarchy is pointless, and the performance them, after all, have only seen Gospels played as should be treated as an integral part of a a guest performance in quite different spaces; compound whole, which links artistic work with moreover, among those who have seen it in travel and anthropological and personal Wrocław, there will be many who know only the experience. Alas, apart from highlighting the fact ‘studio’ version, presented at the site of the that ‘it should’, and apart from a few simplistic Institute located in the centre of Wrocław’s Old remarks, I am unable to write much more about Town. This means that ‘my Gospels’ may greatly this phenomenon, since my contact with Gospels differ from ‘yourGospels ’, and in writing an is, in fact, the contact of a spectator. account or in interpreting, one must emphasize This first limitation does not, unfortunately, this subjectivity, rather than imply that ‘my’ mark the end of the problems. At the first public version is ‘appropriate’ and, therefore, ‘better’. presentation I saw (it took place as part of the Another aspect of the project’s variability, and celebrations of the anniversary of CTP what provides an additional source of ‘Gardzienice’, on 10 October 2002), a note ‘work complication, is related to the ensemble’s in progress’ was added to the title of the composition. The original group that started to performance. In fact it should be applied to work on the project Gospels of Childhood was 61 composed almost entirely of different people Kamila Klamut. All of these constants will serve K o s k i i ´ns from today’s ensemble. Changes – indeed as landmarks on my way through the labyrinth substantial – occurred not only in the ‘choir’ but called Gospels of Childhood. also among the protagonists. Among them, the most important is the change in the character of 2 the man dressed in white garment (associated Since ‘my’ Gospels is a Brzezinka performance, here with Lazarus), which took place in 2005. In we need to begin with the journey and this basic the role formerly played by Dominik Kos´cielniak fact: that in the case of watching the spectacle in – somewhat angelic, boy-like, slender and fair – Brzezinka, instead of going to a theatre located there appeared the stronger, more mature and most often in the city, the audience has to decide resolute, dark-haired and even a little to leave the town for more than three hours. It is, Mephistophelean Przemysław Błaszczak. The admittedly, organized and does not require any substitution seems particularly significant in special logistical planning (as does, for instance, respect of the monologue from The Brothers a trip to Gardzienice village), but nevertheless Karamazov, delivered by ‘Lazarus’ at the the event’s character changes radically. beginning of the performance: while Kos´cielniak After an hour’s drive, the coach calls into an was associated with Alosza, Błaszczak, in turn, exit off a forest road where a few people carrying appears more like Ivan. flame torches are already waiting. The leader When, to this maze of changes and differences, (usually Magda Ma˛dra) informs the audience: we add modifications in the composition and ‘We are in Brzezinka – the place where Jerzy different ways of performing successive scenes, Grotowski conducted his paratheatrical research we receive a multifaceted, dynamic flow, which – in the ’70s.’ The information is important. For all contrary to the practice of the majority of theatre of those who are familiar with the tradition of groups – presents itself as such, and even has no Grotowski, Brzezinka is like a legend, and desire to be stopped. Thus, any interpretation, as Gospels does not move away from it.