SONG OF THE GOAT THEATRE
Teatr Piesn Kozla has been hailed as the most exciting and innovative of the new Avant-garde theatre movements in Poland. It has toured internationally with its performances and been granted many awards.
‘Chronicles – a lamentation’ won the Best International Show Edinburgh 2004, the Scotsman Fringe First, the Herald Angel at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2004 (August 2004), the Grand Prix at Poland’s prestigious Festival of Acting in Kalisz (May 2003). It was invited to LaMaMa Theatre (April 2004), and was part of the programme commemorating of Odin Teatret’s 40th Anniversary (October 2004). The company also performed at Barbican in London (May 2005) and at UCLA in Los Angeles (October 2005), then toured Australia in 2006. At Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2007 the company was nominated for the Best Ensemble: Stage Award for Acting Excellence 2007 and for the Best Physical Performance: Total Theatre Award for ‘Lacrimosa’. In November 2008 a new performance ‘Macbeth’ was presented in Wroclaw and since then it has drawn hundreds of viewers from Poland and abroad.
Teatr Piesn Kozla continues the long tradition of Polish ensemble theatre work and, through its dedication to ongoing research in the actor’s craft and its vocal and movement techniques, it has devised a unique performance style. Each performance is conceived by the company through a long process lasting up to a year where a new technique of training and vocal work is created each time as the ground work for the plays. Thus each performance of Teatr Piesn Kozla is different and unusual, and yet they share a similar approach of combining movement, voice, song and text which are interchangeable elements in the so-called coordination technique.
Grzegorz Bral and Anna Zubrzycki founded Teatr Piesn Kozla in 1996. The company spent its first four years in residence at the Jerzy Grotowski Centre for Theatre and Culture Research, in Wroclaw, Poland. Since 2002 the company has had its own studio space – the refectory of a 14th century monastery in the heart of Wroclaw. Teatr Piesn Kozla is an international ensemble company with members from the UK, Finland, France, Norway, Sweden and Poland. It draws young performers from all over the world to participate in its extensive artistic and pedagogical program. The company organizes workshops regularly over the year, teaching its own unique approach to the actor’s craft. Its pedagogical work is the subject of the MA and postgraduate diploma in acting for the Manchester Metropolitan University School of Theatre which the company runs in its studio in Wroclaw. The MA program runs bi-annually. There have been two editions so far: in 2004/2005 2007 and 2009/2010. Each edition includes an artistic research trip (Greece 2005, Siberia 2007, Spain 2010) and ends with the performance of work-in-progress prepared by the students. The uniqueness of this MA program is its foundation in practice as research. The core of the work is learning approaches to physical and vocal techniques that provide students with the skills for individual research on the body and voice in training and performance. Research is the very nature of the acting process studied which then manifests itself in students’ own investigation into acting. The MA in acting aims to train the artist to be independent through a program that gives the skills, confidence and methods to develop their own practice. The next intake was in September 2011.
Since 2005 the company has run their annual Brave Festival: Against Cultural Exile, presenting art of vanishing cultures and traditions from all over the world. This is a festival of brave people, people who speak about where they come from, what their values are and what their tradition and spirituality is. Each edition of Brave Festival focuses on a different aspect of humanity, art or region of the world. That is why its previous editions were so far called: “Magic Voices”, “Asian Voices”, “Drowned Songs”, “Rituals: Out of Africa”,“Prayers of the World” and "Enchanters".
The aim of the festival is to provide a form for artists to present their cultural heritage and thus give them a chance to exchange experiences. Brave Festival is a festival of people who do not accept the models promoted by mass culture, people searching for the deepest possible sources of inspiration – the inner one. In relations with such people and traditions, Brave Festival promotes diversity, multiculturalism and peace. The organizers of the festival believe that intercourse and an attempt to understand distant traditions is only one of the manners to preserve cultures. The other is charity, which means that all revenues from ticket sales support the activities of Rokpa International, an organization running educational and cultural projects in various parts of the world. The aim of Rokpa is to raise children, who are aware of their identity, from their early years till adulthood. Thus Brave Festival becomes a much larger project that contributes to saving cultures, traditions and languages in a very practical and palpable way.
Teatr Piesn Kozla is an independent self-supported theatre company, collaborating with and receiving support from the City Council of Wroclaw, the Polish Ministry of Culture and private sponsorship. Teatr Piesn Kozla collaborates with other artistic groups and pedagogical institutions on both a national and international level.
Performances:
1997 Song of the Goat – a dithyramb
2001 Chronicles – a lamentation
2005 Lacrimosa
2008 Macbeth
2009 Drama Studio Project: Desire Under the Elms
Festivals:
The ensemble has toured internationally with its performances for the last 13 years.
Performance "Macbeth":
The UK Tour: performances, workshops, symposium, “The Point” /Eastleigh/, “Mac” /Birmingham/, “The Junction” /Cambridge/, “Capitol Theatre” /Manchester/, “Barbican Centre / The Pit” /Londyn/, “Corn Exchange” /Brighton/, October-November 2010
Divadelni Svet Festival, Brno, Czech Republic, June 2010
Open Days of Studio Theatre, Warsaw, March 2010
Performance “Lacrimosa”:
XXXIX Jeleniogórskie Spotkania Teatralne, Jelenia Góra, October 2009
XXIè Rencontres de Chants Polyphoniques de Calvi, Calvi, Corsica, September 2009
II Week of Polish Culture, Danza Teatro Retazos, Havana, Cuba, May 2009
Le Bateau Feu / Scene Nationale, Dunkirk, France, January 2009
Polish Theatre Festival, Riga, Latvia, December 2008
Theatre Encounters in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland, April 2008
Volos International Theatre Festival, Volos, Greece, January 2008
Edinburgh Fringe Festival, August 2007
XLII Overview of Short Performances ‘Counterpoint’, Szczecin, Poland, April 2007
Festival of Theatre Festivals ‘Encounters’, Warsaw, Poland, November 2006
46 Mess Festival, Sarajevo, October 2006
Malta International Festival, Poznan, Poland, July 2006
Forty sixth edition of Kalisz Theatre Meetings Festival of Acting, Kalisz, Poland, May 2006
Performance “Chronicles”:
15th Anniversary of Nadbaltyckie Centrum Kultury, Gdansk, Poland, July 2007
Perth Festival, Australia, February 2006
Sydney Festival, Australia, January 2006
Aurora Nova South 2005, Brighton, Great Britain, October/November 2005
UCLA Live Festival, Los Angeles, October 2005
Waves Festival-Cantabile 2, Vordingborg, Denmark, August 2005
Barbican Centre, London, Great Britain, May 2005
The Eastern Line Festival, 14th ISTA, Wroclaw, April 2005
Festival of Theatre Festivals ‘Encounters’,Warsaw, October 2004
International Mime Festival, Aarschot, Belgium, October 2004
40th Anniversary of Odin Teatret , Aarhus, Denmark, October 2004
Festival Divadlo, Pilzno, Czech Republic, September 2004
EX PONTO Festiwal, Ljubljana, Slovenia, September 2004
Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2004, Scotland, August 2004
La MaMa Theatre, New York, USA, April - May 2004
National Chiang Kai-Shek Cultural Center, Taipei, Taiwan, March 2004
Ars Cameralis Silesiae Superioris, Poland, November 2003
16 International Meeting of Moving Theatre, Budapest, Hungary, November 2003
International Theatre Festival Dialog-Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland, October 2003
Malta International Festival, Poznan, Poland, June 2003
Teatr Polski ‘Theatres of the World’ Warsaw, Poland, June 2003
‘Theatre as a way of Healing’, Dah Theatre, Serbia, May 2003
Forty third edition of the Kalisz Theatre Meetings Festival of Acting, Poland, April 2003
The International ‘Confrontations’ Theatre Festival Lublin, Poland, October 2002
Porsgrunn International Theatre Festival, Norway, June 2002
CuLTUREN, Sweden, June 2002
SAFT, Fredrikstad, Norway, June 2001
Performance “Song of the Goat”:
Restless Gravity Tour, Wales, October 2000
Bergamo International Theatre Festival, Italy, June 2000
Porsgrunn International Theatre festival, Norway, June 1999
Theatre festival in Kielce, Poland, May 1999
Tanztage – dance festival in Potsdam, Germany, May 1999
Poznan Mask Festival, Poland, December 1998
‘Collisions’ International Theatre Festival in Klodzko, Poland, November 1998
Awards:
• International Theatre Institute (ITI) Award for promoting Polish culture abroad, 27 March 2010
• CITY WROCLAW AWARD for the achievements of the ensemble in Poland and abroad, Wroclaw, Poland, June 2007
• Wroclaw Theatre Award 2006 for Brave Festival – Against Cultural Exile, 2nd edition entitled „Asian Voices”
• Piesn Kozla ensemble nominated to XII European Prize / New Theatrical Realities, May 2009
• Nomination to Nagroda Marszałka Wojewodztwa Dolnoslaskiego (The Prize of Head of Voivodeship of Lower Silesia) in the category „The Most Interesting Theatre Event of 2009”: Brave Festival, 5th edition entitled „Prayers of the World”, March 2010
Awards for ‘Macbeth’:
• THE PRIZE OF HEAD OF VOIVODESHIP OF LOWER SILESIA - “Nagroda Marszalka Wojewodztwa Dolnoslaskiego” for Anna Zubrzycki – „The Best Female Role in 2008” (Lady Macbeth in Macbeth)
• Grzegorz Bral nominated to Wroclaw’s Theatre Award 2009 for directing Macbeth
Awards for ‘Lacrimosa’:
• 2nd place in the audience poll in Teatr im. C.K. Norwida in Jelenia Góra during XXXIX Theatre Meetings of Jelenia Góra in 2009
• Fringe Festival, Edinburgh, August 2007
Nominated for the Best Ensemble: Stage Award for Acting Excellence 2007 Nominated for the Best Physical Performance: Total Theatre Award
• AWARD of Szczecin’s Friends Association
XLII Overview of Short Performances ‘Counterpoint’, Szczecin, Poland, April 2007
• ENSEMBLE AWARD
Forty sixth edition of Kalisz Theatre Meetings Festival of Acting, Kalisz, Poland, May 2006
Awards for ‘Chronicles – a lamentation’:
• Best International Show Edinburgh 2004, The Guardian, Edinburgh 2004
• SCOTSMAN FRINGE FIRST 2004, Edinburgh 2004
• HERALD ANGEL 2004, Edinburgh 2004
• GRAND PRIX for “serious and beautiful ensemble work…extraordinarily strong in its vitality and precision”. Forty third edition of the Kalisz Theatre Meetings Festival of Acting, Poland, April 2003.
• FESTIVAL DIRECTOR’S SPECIAL AWARD : “For the most mature acting skills”. Forty third edition of the Kalisz Theatre Meetings Festival of Acting, Poland, April 2003.
Concerts:
• The concert celebrating 12th anniversary of Song of the Goat Theatre The Most Beautiful Songs of the Goats, Wroclaw, December 2008
• The Song for Dalai Lama, Wroclaw, Hala Stulecia, December 2008
Artistic research trips / Expeditions:
These inspiring journeys into living cultural enclaves provide a dynamic link with the cultural traditions and roots of the theme and/or source texts during the phase of creating each performance.
Russia, Irkutsk, the expedition with MMU students – September 2007
Spain, the expedition with MA in Acting students - January 2010
Russia, Irkutsk, the expedition with MA in Acting students - September 2007
Greece, the expedition with MA in Acting students – January 2005
Greece, Thessaloniki: Anastenaria celebrations - May 2003
Greece - the Mani and Epiros regions - August 2002
Taiwan - August 2001
Nothern Epiros and Albania in search of lamentation - May 2001
Singapore - April 2001
Greece - June 1997
Lectures / work demonstrations:
Singapore, Porsgrun International Theatre Festival in Norway; Polski Theatre in Warsaw; Giving Voice Festival in Wales,UK; Magdalena Festival, U.K.; Tainan in Taiwan; International Theatre Festival in Athens; Rose Bruford College in London, Royal Holloway College, London; International Theatre Workshop Festival in London; Odin Teatret 40th Anniversary; Art Academy, Cichuachua, Mexico; University of Mexico; International Theatre Festival UCLA Live, Los Angeles, USA, Zacheta Gallery, Warsaw, Poland.
Conferences organised by Teatr Piesn Kozla:
May, 1999 : Multivoices
November 2000: Is Living Theare Dying?
Workshops:
The Piesn Kozla Company has created its own acting technique, continuing the long tradition of Polish ensemble theatre work.
Grzegorz Bral and Anna Zubrzycki, together with the actors of Teatr Piesn Kozla offer workshops for professional performers – the material and techniques offered in them are adapted to suit each particular group. Each workshop can be treated as an audition for their MA Course.
Workshops in Poland: Since 1997, the company has led over 50 workshops, training courses and summer schools for more than 600 students, actors and directors as well as for professional theatre companies from both Poland and abroad in its studio space as well as at Wrocław’s Współczesny Theatre, Warsaw’s Teatr Polski and the Warsaw Theatre Academy, Wroclaw Theatre Academy.
International workshops: Led workshops and training sessions at The International Workshop Festival in London, Royal Holloway College, London University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Welsh College of Music and Drama, International theatre festival in Athens, Porsgrunn International Theatre Festival, Drama Box Theatre in Singapore, Tainan Theatre Troupe in Taiwan, Dublin, Belgrade, Centre for Performance Research in Wales, La MaMa Theatre in New York, Cichuachua, Mexico; University of Mexico; Festival Edge of the World, Los Angeles, USA; Pomona College, Claremont, USA; Nantingale Theatre, Brighton, Great Britain; Australian Theatre for Young People, Sydney, Australia; La Troube University, Melbourne, Australia; Black Swan Theatre, Perth, Australia; Los Angeles, USA; Havana, Cuba.