4th – 24th November, Voila Theatre Festival, London (venues across London)

Take a look at the Theatre shows in the Polish language or touching on Polish themes, which will be performed as part of this year’s Voila Theatre Festival.

Full programme here Voila theatre festival – Produced by The Cockpit (voilafestival.co.uk)

Or see the Polish shows and direct links to them, below

After 10 years at The Cockpit, Voila! Theatre Festival relaunches in November as a multi-venue, panlingual festival. Voila! 2024 has curated the widest range yet of cultures, stories, and aesthetics with challenge and change in the spotlight. Wherever it’s happening, whoever is making it happen, and whatever language it’s using, this vibrant programme of international talents brings together outposts, hubs, individuals, vanguards and burgeoning theatrical energy.

At Voila! you’ll meet artists playing with big ideas, theatrical forms, and world languages in innovative and unexpected ways. It all begins on the 4th of November at The Cockpit with our Miniatura scratch & opening night.  

Voila! Theatre Festival is produced by The Cockpit and supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Theatre Shows at Voila in the Polish Language

Woman in the Attic by Paulina Krzeczkowska, the Playground Theatre, 12th-14th November

The piece, inspired by the romantic topos of the mad woman, explores gender and the place of femininity in the social and literary contexts. Influenced by the characters of Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Antoinette from Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea and of Bertha from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, it tells a story of a Polish woman, her experiences of female agency, and her desire for self-determination.

Woman in the Attic starts with a ‘traditional’ narrative structure, where the text frames the discourse, only to let it unravel into a visceral journey of self-discovery. Employing spoken word, singing, and choreographed physical actions, Krzeczkowska presents an unsettling and at times comical image of femininity.

Languages: English, Polish

Spitting Pretty by Eyes Wide Theatre, the Space Theatre, 15th-16th November

“What do you dream me to be?”

That’s the first question she asks before meeting the men.

Nick calls her Bella, and she’s powerful with him. Josh calls her Emily, that’s bittersweet. Martin calls her Heather, she’s not sure she’s okay with it.

Playing these parts, all included in the escort service she provides, she starts to lose herself. When are they not pretending? Who is she? Where does she need to draw the line?

A brand-new one person play from a fresh and exciting new company, Eyes Wide Theatre, exploring themes of desire, fantasy and uncertainty.

The performance on 15 November will be live streamed; book via The Space website.

Languages: English, Polish

The Monument by Margot Przymierska, Camden People’s Theatre, 21st-22nd November

Meet Bogdan – a builder and a hard worker involved in a mysterious construction project. Following a typical migrant path, he’s focused on earning money and imagining the future ahead. So far it’s not looking great. Caught in a work-sleep routine, Bogdan is desperately looking for real love and connection on the dating apps, interrupted by a barrage of bad news from the wider world. He begins to question the aim of his hard work.

Bogdan’s life is juxtaposed with the tragi-comic true story of Otakar Švec – a sculptor behind the largest monument of Stalin in Czechoslovakia. Positioned side by side, two stories of Bogdan & Otakar create a dialogue between two individuals, two societies and two moments in history, which encourage audiences to think about the individual & collective power in shaping the world around us.

The Monument is a one-woman performance with audience participation using drag, spoken word and comedy.

Languages: Polish

The World of Yesterday by Anya Ostrovskaia, Camden People’s Theatre, 19th-20th November

A cabaret evening takes the audience through the life of Stefan Zweig, a renowned Austrian writer whose memoir captured the essence of the human experience in the early 20th century. Born to a Jewish family in Vienna, Zweig flourished during the peaceful pre-war years, before being forced into exile by the rise of Nazism. The World of Yesterday chronicles an irreversibly changing world, offering a poignant look at the fragility of civilization, and how easily we can be lost to hate. Holding a mirror to the world of today, this experimental adaptation asks us to look at our place in continuing history.

Queer, Jewish, unequivocally political theatre-maker Anya Ostrovskaia brings together a multidisciplinary group of artists to deal with past, present, and the space between. A testament to the enduring power of art and culture, the resilience of the human spirit.

Languages: English, Polish, Ukranian, Yiddish

I Didn’t Know I Was Polish by Kaitlyn Kelly, Applecart Arts, 12th-16th November

Lights up on Kaitlyn, a Canadian expat at a crossroads. After two years of savouring Parisian streets on a youth visa, her time in France is running out. Her parents want her to return home, but Kaitlyn’s heart is firmly anchored in the French capital. Desperate, she consults an immigration lawyer and receives disheartening news. However, a chance call with her sister reveals a surprising family twist: Kaitlyn learns that her Ukrainian grandfather, born amidst the shifting borders of early 20th-century Eastern Europe, was technically Polish. A revelation that could hold the key to a coveted European passport.

As Kaitlyn navigates her unexpected, newfound heritage, she finds that borders and identity are much more nuanced than she thought. Along the way, she reflects on the meaning of home and the truths she’s been running from. Will this newfound heritage solve her problems, or is true belonging something deeper than nationality?

Languages: English, French