Alice in Wonderland

I dare to say it is the most important event during the first days of the festival – ,,Alice in  Wonderland’’. Performance concelebrated by A PART and Warriors of Beauty (new theatrical formation in Kato or at least adepts of A PART), theatrical experience for 1 spectator,  complete roller-coaster ride. If somebody considered the stage on 3 maja street too tiny, will now have to cope with an extreme experience on the border of claustrophobia. And I don’t mean only the acting space but also the inner space. Theatre that comes out to people is a euphemism. ,,Alice’’ by Marcin Herich and Monika Wachowicz transgresses the personal borders of the viewer in quite an obvious way, undresses them, amplifies their sense of responsibility ( because they can’t share it with anybody, they’re all alone but also because the show makes them the participant of shady happenings – makes them the accomplice). Passing the rabbit hole – if we try to undersatnd what it is in the perspective of the contemporaneity but also literally ( if we follow for example Tim Burton’s  vision) – is an infernal path –  through victiorian double-dealing, ambigious  biography, night clubs,  Fritzl basements ( yes, plural), through Muller’s and Jelinek’s novels (implied), David Lynch’s films and last but not least- through our own immagination ( the one that is weighted with irremovable pshycological shadow but also gender immagination; meaning what has been and what has not been under social and cultural projection. In fact, ,,Alice’’ makes possible something not only quite as empathy but even identification with the body of the model that’s being victimised. In this sense all man can feel like little girls for a moment).
I don’t mean to spoil the performance that can only be a unique and singular experience  ( its strength is individual and exceptional experience equal to psychological illumination – there is no need to repeat it to receive the therapeutic effect).  Teatr A PART confirms with ,,Alice’’ all its previous obsessions, bellmerian origin ( spiritual and physical), critical ambitions and aesthetical and formal change – less big shows, more intimate stories,  and on this change it only gains.

Radosław Kobierski, www.rueboutdumonde.blogspot.com

One of the most interesting – yet available for only limited amount of people- event during this year’s edition of the festival turned out to be ,,Alice in Wonderland’’ by Teatr A Part. New project by Marcin Herich is a theatrical experiment designated for 1 spectator.  The starting point was the novel by Lewis Caroll and some motifs from the biography of the writer. Tracing the eponymous Alice the audience travel through switchback nooks of a dark labyrinth, arranged in the atelier of Teatr A Part. Its paths are filled with symbolic objects that can be associated with literary archetype as well as with the myths grown around it, and psychoanalytic reading. Much like Caroll’s novel, the labyrinth is ruled by the logic of a dream but it is not a nice one – it consists of unpleasant images, ambiguous, often hurtful. Walking through succeeding chambers seems like diving into the darkest fields of humans subconsciousness – into what is ousted, shameful, disgraceful. Basically in every room  Alice awaits us in one of her multiple avatars: a little girl, daughter, mother, wife, mistress, whore. What connects them is a certain state of enslavement in a sultry point of no return. The moment in which Alice takes us outside the twisting labyrinth works as a small substitute for freedom – after this sensual pause the come back to the labyrinth seems an obnoxious and disgusting idea. Luckily for us – no, we dont come back. Alice shows us the way out, but herself remains in the labyrinth.

 

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

,,Thank you! Exciting journey, incredible.’’
,,Alice… thank you for an amazing performance. Thank you for walking me through the gloomy labyrinth of your change. Thank you for emotions that came with every stage of my path. Thank you for being in your world. Thank you.’’
,,Alice… you read, you watch her adventures on the screen…they are more or less fantastic, in your Theatre you discover Alice within yourself, it is an amazing adventure. Thank you’’
,,Strong, detoxifying walk. Meditation. The perspective of a woman that makes one aware of the enslavement as well as incredible beauty without which we wouldn’t exist. Thank you.’’.
,,Extraordinary experience of Theater. I love you, Alice.’’
,,I’m emotionally devastated, my intimacy has been seriously breached and reconstructed, I’ve been hurt and healed. It was a very strong sensation. Thank you very much”
,,Remarkable experience, purifying, disrupting but positive, very much needed. Thank you’’
,,Thank you for extraordinary experiences that let to cope with that’s difficult, uncomfortable, ousted in us, to go towards the light – cleaned. Real katharsis for everyone! Looking into the actors’ eyes like looking at ourselves – without the curtains. Thank you”
,,Hypnosis. Shameless game. Land from the dreams. Alice. Nudity. Anger. Movement. Shame. Enchantment’’
,,Thank you for freedom of sensations. It’s intimidating but there’s no other as intimate performance as this’’
,,Provocative and strong!’’
,,Thank you for an amazing journey and invaluable sensations, I want more!’’
,,Beautiful moments. Thank you for touching my mind and soul so much. Deeply touching scenes will surely stay in my memory for long. Thank you.’’
,,Beautiful. Keep it up!’’
,,Strange, amazing, scary, memorable experience. Thank you, it was worth to see it!’’
,,Performance full of allusions, ambiguities, metaphors, beauty and anti-aesthetics.’’
,,The labyrinth absorbed me completely. It’s like a breath of fresh air for somebody from the traditional theatre. Like opening a window, when fresh air almost kills because  it makes such strong impression and makes one want to breath it greedily. Subtle form, that bites into the brain. Thank you.’’
,,Surprising, something to think about. Alice as you’ve never seen her. A lot of emotions, worries, fears, need to help. Thank you. ‘’
,,Uncommon experience. Stirring atmosphere, Anti-tale. Or just post-tale. Thank you very much. It was worth it.’’
,,Fascinating. Every second worth remembering. Thank you very much.’’
,,Outstanding feelings and sensations. Thanks!’’
,,Almost mute, little words, but very meaningful. I experienced theatre so close to me for the first time.’’
,, Thank you, Alice, for this journey. Experiencing theatre with all senses –  such THEATRE is dear to me.’’
,,The only thing I’m able to say is… THANK YOU. For the journey, emotions, and the world into which you let me in for a little moment. I will remember it for a long time. Thank you for the truth’’
,,I didn’t want my journey to end…. Outstanding.’’
,,Thank you very much for a couple of moments of reflection upon life, the disenchantment of the Wonderland. Brutal but very real. I’m impressed.’’
,,Big emotions, meditation and increased sensibility. Thank you for great acting!’’
Thank you, performance will resonate within me for a long time. Let the poetry give such sensations.’’
,,Incredible journey among (sub)consciousness, fears and imagination’’
,,It was indeed amazing journey… magic?’’
,,Total surprise. Moment of reflection, deep thoughts. Strong show, giving something to think about… the courage of actors – big applause!’’
,,Universe.’’
,,Fantastic journey! I would prefer to go back there! I would prefer not to.’’
,,Strange, uncommon feeling of constant anxiety that forces the viewer to get out of their comfort zone. Fantastic experience. Thank you.’’
,,Touch me and life will enter me – T. Różewicz. The touch is most important. Thank you.’’
,,Thank you for the lyrical – oniric journey through the dark and uncertainty. It was an inspiring meeting.’’
,,Thank you for the exciting trip to the world of Alice in the Wonderland. I will remember those moments until the end of my life. Extraordinary, uncommon, full of contradictory emotions this is how I will remember Alice and her world.’’
,,Incredible theatrical experience.’’
,,Very interesting experience, extraordinary sensations. Thank you very much.’’
,,I love you! For this fight, for the persistence! For this war for beauty! Nothing else comes to my head because my head turned off… there are only emotions left. Thank you for that and I love you for that!’’
,,I want to stay here.’’
,,Thank you for the journey full of sensations for the senses that I couldn’t experience anywhere else. For seeing my own, well-hidden fears. For traveling to the inside of my own that I wouldn’t have without you. It was amazing…’’
,,A little traumatic and at the same time amazingly touching experience.’’
,,Extraordinary experience. For people who seek exceptional sensations, new inspirations,  escape from reality. Forces to reflect. Will stay in the memory for a long time.’’
,,Katharsis.’’
,,Being touched… sadness…fear… Or maybe it’s just me… Everything that’s behind and ahead of us makes us what we are… Everybody is Alice in their own labyrinth, following the white rabbit…’’
,,Incredibile experience – I didn’t expect such emotions.’’
,,Amazing sensations, feeling the theatre with all senses, being in the center of happenings and a genius ending . Such living through theatre.  Didn’t expect it. Thank you.’’
,,Yesterday. Night. Łódź. THE RESIDENTS. Today. Kato. ALICE… incredible trip’’
,,Alice took me to the incredible parts of my mind.’’
,,I don’t know how to cover it with my mind. It was surprising, gloomy, addictive, mega interesting.’’