Wormwood"Brilliantly crafted. Harrowing immediacy."
Glasgow Herald
Like a diary from a journey across a country plunging into the night, or a letter written by shipwrecked people who entrust it to the sea, Wormwood blurs the line between fantasy and reality in its portrayal of life in Poland under martial law. At once heartbreaking, humorous, and brutally physical, Wormwood is a rare remounting of the landmark 1985 production that prompted Theatre of the Eighth Day’s exile from Poland, performed by the original Polish cast.
Founded in 1964, Theatre of the Eighth Day continues to be recognized as a leader among Polish alternative theatres. Inspired and influenced by the work of Jerzy Grotowski, the company developed their own acting method, creating performances through improvisation. For the first twenty-five years of its existence, and despite constant police surveillance and government censorship, Theatre of the Eighth Day managed to create some of the most important works for the Polish stage: In One Breath (1971); Discounts for All (1977); Oh, How Nobly We Lived (1979); and Auto Da Fe (1985). Since the collapse of the Communist regime in Poland, the company, currently based in Poznań, continues to be recognized as a leader among Polish theatre companies.
Performed in Polish with English supertitles. Wormwood has a running time of approximately 60 minutes, and each performance is followed by a talk back with the artists.
Wormwood is presented in association with the Polish Cultural Institute in New York and the European Studies Council, with a Title VI National Resource Center grant from the US Department of Education.
For mature audiences. Please contact the Box Office at (203) 432-1234 if you have further questions about the themes or content of this production.
