November 14, 2023 | Długa Street 26/28 | Sobieski Hall
Devised Theatre originated in the Anglo-Saxon context in the 1970s, evolving in various cultural spaces worldwide. It continues to adapt its principles, with a focus on experimental forms beyond institutional boundaries, non-hierarchical structures, and collective responsibility for both the creative process and its outcomes, which are often less significant than the process itself. Diverse in its definition by practitioners and theorists, it now demands a deeper methodological reflection in an era of representation crises.
Devised Theatre strategies often intersect with choreographic and kinesthetic practices, making this symposium open to both theatre and dance theorists and practitioners. In addition to theoretical presentations, we invite you to join a Round Table discussion, hoping for a lively exchange with the audience. How does physical theatre differ from Devised Theatre? Is "horizontal work" possible in both theatre and dance while maintaining individual self-determination within the ensemble? Is the role of a leader solely authoritarian, or can it be useful under certain circumstances? When does the concept of "collective work" not conceal an emancipatory illusion? Finally, what influence does the economy have on the status of collective and intergroup relationships?
| Organizers: Prof. Krystyna Duniec Katarzyna Kułakowska, PhD Agnieszka Sosnowska, PhD |
Program:
| 10:00 | Symposium opening |
| 10:20 | Duška Radosavljević | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London /UK Collaborative Theatre Dramaturgies in a Post-Gutenberg Era |
| 10:40 | Kathryn Mederos Syssoyeva | Dixie State University /USA Collective Creation and Ensemble Devising: A Political History |
| 11:00 | Iga Gańczarczyk | National Academy of Theatre Arts in Cracow/PL Workspace as an Alternative to Education |
| coffee break | |
| 11:40 | Round Table: Devising Practices Models (I) Iga Gańczarczyk, Ula Kijak, Jacek Łumiński, Duška Radosavljević, Kathryn Mederos Syssoyeva. Moderator: Krystyna Duniec - Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PL) |
| lunch break | |
| 15:00 | Katarzyna Kułakowska | The Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences/PL "The Necessity of Advocating for Fundamental Matters": Areas of Inequality in Devised Theatre Illustrated by the Process of Changes of Węgajty Theatre |
| 15:20 | Alka Nauman | the artist /PL Pleasure, Risk, Unknown: On Processual Working Methods in the Field of Experimental Choreography |
| 15:40 | Wojtek Ziemilski | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama w Londynie /UK, PL Devising Truth: Factuality in Performances of the Real |
| coffee break | |
| 16:20 | Round Table: Devising Practices Models (II) Karolina Kraczkowska, Katarzyna Kułakowska, Antoni Michnik, Magda Mosiewicz, Wojtek Ziemilski. Moderator: Agnieszka Sosnowska - Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PL) |
| 18:00 | Symposium closing |
Abstracts of presentations & biographies of participants
Call for papers
WĘGAJTY AS A VERB?
landscapes ‧ communities ‧ borderlands
Institute of Art, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw (20-21 June, 2022)
panel related to landscapes (online)
The Węgajty Theatre, Węgajty (25-26 July, 2022)
plenary panel (on-site)
The conference will consist of two complementary parts:
- a panel, taking place online, in English, whose themes will revolve around the Węgajty Theatre in the context of landscapes,
- the plenary, bilingual (in Polish and English), organised in Węgajty, during which the papers will concern three thematic areas: landscapes, communities and borderlands.
virtual working session
EXPLORING THEATRE WITHIN LANDSCAPES
We kindly invite you to learn more about the session here
DEADLINES
We invite participants to submit abstracts of their proposed papers (up to 300 words) with a short biography (150 words) and affiliation by 10 April, 2022 via the application form:
APPLICATION FORM
The list of accepted participants will be announced by 20 April, 2022.
We invite then participants to submit 10 page individual papers by 31 May, 2022.
The conference fee that is 250 PLN should be paid by 31 May, 2022.
plenary panel
WĘGAJTY AS A VERB?
landscapes ‧ communities ‧ borderlands
We kindly invite you to learn more about the panel here
DEADLINES
Conference applications (announcement of a 20-minute speech) not exceeding 300 words, together with a short biography (150 words), affiliation, telephone number and e-mail address, should be submitted by 31 March 2022 via the application form:
The list of accepted participants will be announced by 10 April, 2022.
Conference commitee:
dr Justyna Biernat
dr Magdalena Hasiuk
mgr Joanna Kocemba-Żebrowska
mgr Joanna Królikowska
contact: wegajtyconference@gmail.com
The conference is organized within the research The Węgajty Theatre – 35 years of anthropological theatre and social-cultural exploration (Sonata Bis No. 2017/26/E/HS2/00357 National Science Centre).
THEATRE AND DRAMA IN PRISON. PRISON IN THEATRE AND DRAMA
Hence it comes that men so love noise and movement,
hence it comes that a prison is so horrible a punishment,
hence it comes that the pleasure of solitude is a thing incomprehensible.
And it is the great subject of happiness in the condition of kings,
that all about them try incessantly to divert them,
and to procure for them all manner of pleasures.
Blaise Pascal, Thoughts
"Maria K." by the theatre group Impro, Krzywaniec Penitentiary, directed by Agnieszka Bresler, photo: Maciej Zakrzewski
We kindly invite you to learn more about the conference program.
The international interdisciplinary conference entitled "Theatre and drama in prison. Prison in theatre and drama" will be held in Warsaw on 22nd-23rd November 2018. The conference is to be organized by the Department of History and Theory of Theatre of the Institute of Art at the Polish Academy of Sciences.
The purpose of the conference is to bring together scholars and practitioners to explore a worldwide growing presence of theatre and performing arts in prisons/total institutions and to provide a reflection on the relationship between theatre and prison, as well as to examine depictions of prison/total institutions in theatre and drama.
Attendees shall be encouraged to reflect on the specificity of theatre activities in prison, their social/political functions, various artistic techniques and the intrinsic contribution of such activites to the rehabilitation and reintegration of the incarcerated. The conference aims to study what limitations are imposed whilst establishing theatre in prison and the root cause of these limitations. We will attempt to verify the effectiveness of theatre practice in prison, as well as the role, tasks, and potential of art to influence working practices used with the socially excluded, It is the hope of the organisers that the presented areas of research will open new discussions into the functioning of modern society and on ways of introducing social change.
We encourage attendance from prison theatre practitioners, theatre and performance researchers, specialists in resocialization, cultural anthropologists, sociologists, pedagogues, lawyers. The keynote speaker of the conference will be John Bergman - drama therapist, lecturer (associated with the University of Iowa, Lesley University and Hollins University), theatre practitioner, drama therapy instructor specializing in working with inmates as well as detention ward and penitentiary staff (Stonewall Arts Project/Geese Theater Company). His original methods of working with violent offenders have been put into practice in 15 countries around the world.
The conference language is English and Polish.
We would like to call your attention to the following issues:
- (un)presence of theater and performance activities in Polish prisons – reasons, threats, challenges;
- does theatre change prisons? Theatre in prison in individual, institutional and social perspective; ways, forms and effectiveness of social rehabilitation through theatre;
- prison theatre as a place for intensifying awareness and learning/encouraging dialogue;
- creative resocialization and theatre;
- repertoire and artistic forms of the prison-based theatre;
- creators of "theaters behind the bars";
- can features of prison acting be distinguished?
- prison art and urban space;
- links between theatre/drama and prison (what do we mean when we talk about prison in theatre and drama);
- depictions of prison/total institution in theatre/drama and its cultural conditioning;
- representations of the experience of limitation of freedom in drama/theatre/performance;
- relation between representations of a prison/total institution and representations of social reality in art.
Submissions
We welcome abstracts of no more than 1800 characters. The abstracts should be sent to by Thursday 20th September 2018.
The abstracts should include the following information: the title of the paper, your full name, affiliation and a biographical note of no more than 150 words. Contact address: teatrwwiezieniu2018@gmail.com
Acceptance notification will be sent by Friday 5th October 2018.
The papers should be planned for a maximum 20 minutes presentation.
The conference fees
250 PLN/60 EUR (full rate)
150 PLN/40 EUR (rate for PhD students)
The fee does not include accommodation and journey costs, however the conference coordinators can offer assistance in finding suitable accommodation.
Payment details will be announced later.
For more information, please contact:
Conference Committee
dr Magdalena Hasiuk, Department of History and Theory of Theatre: mahas@go2.pl
dr Justyna Biernat, Department of History and Theory of Theatre: justyna.biernatowa@gmail.com
mgr Joanna Kocemba, Department of History and Theory of Theatre: joannakocemba@gmail.com