AST NATIONAL ACADEMY OF THEATRE ARTS IN KRAKOW

Poland


AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow is a state university established in 1946. AST operates in three cities in southern Poland: Kraków, Bytom and Wrocław.The Academy educates actors in four majors (dramatic and vocal acting, dance, theatre, puppetry) and directors (drama and puppetry theatre, dramaturgy). Long-cycle programme ends with a graduate dissertation and a diploma performance, which leads to a Master of Arts degree. Each academic year there are more than 10 diploma productions premieres performed by students of the departments of acting. The Academy has five departments, where there are 500 students, taught by 140 academic teachers. AST lecturers include those who are outstanding, artistically active creators of the Polish theatre. The proprietary programmes of the academic teachers are based on the individual master-student relationship. The Academy’s mission statement provides for the education of humanists, as well as theatre craftsmen. Students not only acquire solid professional skills, but also complete their studies as enlightened, open,  curious, tolerant and creative people.

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Saint Joan

It is the year 1429. France has been drowned in the chaos of war with England for nearly a century. Joan of Arc, a simple girl from the country who can hear the voices of saints speaking to her, becomes the country’s last hope for turning the tide of history. She takes over command of the French army and leads it to a series of miraculous victories, recapturing Orleans and crowning Charles VII King of France all over the course of only a few months. In 1430, after a long and difficult trial by the inquisition, the Authorities and Church have Joan of Arc burnt at the stake for preaching heresy. A hundred years later, the same Catholic Church would canonize her as a saint.

Although Joan of Arc has inspired musicians, writers, and directors for quite a few centuries, George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan has not been staged in a theatre for three decades. Students of the AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków have boldly revised the image of the saint made by the Irish playwright, placing Joan in a world bordering on an apocalypse, or perhaps elicited from RPG games. Monika Strzepka, one of the most well-known and controversial figures in Polish theatre, again breaks into contemporary reality with a powerful theatrical diagnosis. The world of the first half of the 21st century stands on the verge of a political, ecological, and cultural catastrophe. The Notre Dame is on fire, as are the Siberian tundra and the rainforests of the Amazon. Joan, the girl who wanted to save her world, is burning as well. A diploma performance by students of the fourth year of the Acting Department of the AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków.

Author: George Bernard Shaw

Translator: Michal Czyz, Florian Sobienowski

Director: Monika Strzepka

Set: Arek Slesinski

Costumes: Arek Slesinski

Music: Borys Kunkiewicz

Production: AST

Photo: Klaudyna Schubert

 

Cast:

Gabriela Bissinger

Kinga Bobkowska

Agnieszka Gawlinska

Melania Kowalczyk

Aleksandra Samelczak

Alan Al-Murtatha

Adam Borysowicz

Michal Czyz

Franciszek Karpinski

Marcin Piotrowiak

 

All performances by AST NATIONAL ACADEMY OF THEATRE ARTS IN KRAKOW

  • Tuesday

    31. 3. 2020

  • 17:00
    "It is the year 1429. France has been drowned in the chaos of war with England for nearly a century. Joan of Arc, a simple girl from the country who can hear the voices of saints speaking to her, becomes the country’s last hope for turning the tide of history. She takes over command of the French army and leads it to a series of miraculous victories, recapturing Orleans and crowning Charles VII King of France all over the course of only a few months. In 1430, after a long and difficult trial by the inquisition, the Authorities and Church have Joan of Arc burnt at the stake for preaching heresy. A hundred years later, the same Catholic Church would canonize her as a saint. Although Joan of Arc has inspired musicians, writers, and directors for quite a few centuries, George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan has not been staged in a theatre for three decades. Students of the AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków have boldly revised the image of the saint made by the Irish playwright, placing Joan in a world bordering on an apocalypse, or perhaps elicited from RPG games. Monika Strzepka, one of the most well-known and controversial figures in Polish theatre, again breaks into contemporary reality with a powerful theatrical diagnosis. The world of the first half of the 21st century stands on the verge of a political, ecological, and cultural catastrophe. The Notre Dame is on fire, as are the Siberian tundra and the rainforests of the Amazon. Joan, the girl who wanted to save her world, is burning as well. A diploma performance by students of the fourth year of the Acting Department of the AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków."
    The Jury’s Path
    The Main Programme




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AST NATIONAL ACADEMY OF THEATRE ARTS IN KRAKOW