16th – 19th January 2025, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre

Performed in Polish with English subtitles.

TICKETS

Łukasz Twarkowski, one of the most interesting directors of his generation, makes his highly anticipated London debut with this adaptation of the dystopian sci-fi epic by Olga Ravn, nominated for the International Booker Prize 2021.

About the play

Under the watchful eye of a mysterious Organisation, the employees of the 6000 Spaceship are exploring the New Discovered – a planet far away from Earth.

But among them, who is human, and who is a human-like humanoid?

The monotony of their daily routine is suddenly interrupted when, with the help of mysterious objects, a longing for Earth awakens their innermost desires.

This visually striking dark satire – perfect for fans of Kubrick – seamlessly blends theatre, film, and installation with bold creativity.

Set in an undefined near future,The Employees takes place aboard a spaceship inhabited by humans and humanoid robots, long after Earth has been destroyed. 

The story unfolds through the fragmentary scraps of reports left by the spaceship crew. Under these extreme conditions, a closed community is forced to confront questions: What separates the human from the non-human? Is the mind simply the brain, or something more?

Suitable for ages 16 and above.

AUTHOR: Olga Ravn

DIRECTOR: Łukasz Twarkowski

TEXT ADAPTATION AND DRAMATURGY: Joanna Bednarczyk

SET DESIGN: Fabien Lédé

COSTUMES: Svenja Gassen

MUSIC: Lubomir Grzelak

LIGHTING: Bartosz Nalazek

MOVEMENT CONSULTATION: Rob Wasiewicz

VIDEO: Jakub Lech

SET PRODUCTION: Piotr Szczygielski

COSTUMES PRODUCTION: Aleksandra Andrychowicz

CAMERA OPERATORS: Iwo Jabłoński, Gloria Grünig

PRODUCTION MANAGER: Monika Balińska

STAGE MANAGER: Zuzanna Prusińska

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Adam Zduńczyk

ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Aleksandra Urban

MODEL AND OBJECTS: Katarzyna Rytka

LIGHTING OPERATOR: Jan Zajączkowski

SOUND OPERATORS: Damian Kruszewski, Rafał Szydłowski

VIDEO OPERATORS: Adrien Cognac, Adam Kuznowicz

PRODUCTION: STUDIO teatrgaleria, Warsaw

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INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION: Anna Lewanowicz

CAST

Dominika Biernat

Daniel Dobosz

Maja Pankiewicz

Sonia Roszczuk

Paweł Smagała

Rob Wasiewicz

Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik, (audio)

Miron Smagała (video)

Find out more about the play and about the content warnings here.

The Employees is supported by the Polish Cultural Institute in London.

Photo credit: Natalia Kabanow