Seventeen productions, including nine premieres, from Japan, Ukraine, the UK, Spain, and Poland, will be showcased as part of the 29th International Shakespeare Festival in Gdańsk, running from 25 July to 3 August.
The programme includes Richard II by Kochi Yamato, The Tempest by Oksana Dmitrieva, take on Macbeth performed by The Tiger Lillies and La Perla 29, and Julius Caesar directed by Błażej Biegasiewicz for the Modjeska Theatre in Legnica. The latter interrogates today’s world in which words are carriers of (dis)information and, as such, have become weaponised. Is it possible to regain control over the language, ask the creators.
This speaks strongly to the motto of this year’s Festival: ‘Words, words, words.’ The organisers were inspired by Hamlet’s criticism of empty talks, gossip, political nonsense, empty declarations, and words without meaning. As they say:
Today, too, we are being showered with an enormous amount of messages. And so, by choosing the motto ‘Words, words, words’ we refer to the overabundance of information. Highlighting how easy it is to get lost in a sea of words and how important it is to find the ones that really matter. In the age of social media and digital communication, words are used in a quick and often superficial way, often even contributing to tragedy (online hate, verbal violence).
Shakespeare’s ‘Words, words, words’ can be a reminder of the value of deep, thoughtful communication that has the power to influence people and shape reality. As we move away from information over-saturation, we want to move towards quieting and slowing down.
More information and the programme are available on the Festival’s website.
This post was written by the author in their personal capacity.The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of The Theatre Times, their staff or collaborators.
This post was written by Kasia Lech.
The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.
