Curatorial text
The modern world no longer allows for the luxury of complacency. This statement may sound like a cliché, but what lies behind it is anything but. Despite rapid social change, the development of artificial intelligence and the radicalisation of the political scene, we are not on the brink of any revolution. There is no sign of mass rebellion. Instead, we are experiencing distraction, burnout and fatigue from an excess of stimuli. Smartphones, political polarisation, radical disinformation – all of these effectively occupy our attention, while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of what is social, political and private. Moreover, we are able to point the finger at those responsible for the whole situation like never before. And yet, social stagnation continues.
Personalised media, personalised experiences, tailor-made algorithms – the triumph of individualism has turned out to be a failure of community. At the same time, the boundaries have been violated so profoundly that it is no longer possible to react ‘calmly’. We increasingly perceive attacks on reality not as an abstract threat to the general public, but as something directed against each of us personally. Well, now it’s personal!
Under these circumstances, the theatre remains a special place. With the lights dimmed, in complete concentration, one group of people watches and listens to another. It is a simple situation, known for hundreds (if not thousands) of years, and at the same time constantly charged with enormous potential. At a time when attention is a scarce commodity, theatre offers something radical: presence. A shared experience. Time that is not scattered. And what is particularly important: theatre recognises all the people in the audience as individuals, while offering a temporary community in return.
The 58th KONTRAPUNKT International Theatre Festival invites artists who treat theatre not as a safe space for escapism, but as a practical and intellectual tool for confronting reality. We present performances to Szczecin audiences that do not shy away from difficult topics: the breakdown of community, loneliness hidden under the guise of extreme individualised freedom, and advancing fascism. These are works that do not pretend to be neutral, because neutrality has long ceased to be possible.
Paradoxically, it is precisely personal history that can today become the starting point for regaining what we have in common. The experience of the individual does not exist in a void. My business is very rarely just my business. The artists of Kontrapunkt 2026 show that by talking about themselves, they can address issues that concern everyone – and that sometimes only then does real dialogue begin.
Too many boundaries have already been crossed. Too many issues have been deemed “private” in order to avoid dealing with them.
It’s personal! Enough. Now it’s personal!
The author of the text is Michał Rogulski, programme curator of this year's 58th edition, who, together with festival directors Tomasz Lewandowski and Michał Buszewicz, forms the selection committee.
International Form Competition Jury
Tomasz Raczek
Theatre scholar (graduate of the Theatre Studies Department at the Aleksander Zelwerowicz Theatre Academy in Warsaw), film critic and populariser of cinema therapy, author of the RACZEK MOVIE programme on Radio Nowy Świat and YouTuber – runs his own channel, EKRAN TOMASZA RACZKA, awarded the BEST STREAM AWARDS 2023 statuette. Publisher (Latarnik Publishing Institute) and author of several books on film and television, including ‘Kinopassana, czyli sztuka oglądania filmów’ (Kinopassana, or the art of watching films), ‘Perła z lamusem’ (A pearl with a flaw) and, most recently, ‘Ekran w proszku’ (The screen in pieces) Previously, he was the literary manager of the Oko Film Team, editor-in-chief of the Polish edition of ‘Playboy’ magazine, the monthly ‘Film’ and ‘Magazyn Filmowy’ of the Polish Filmmakers Association. Director of the nfilmHD television channels and deputy director of TVP2. Co-creator of the legendary film programme PERŁY Z LAMUSA (Pearls from the Past), which he hosted for over a decade alongside Zygmunt Kałużyński on TVP2. Author of the podcast THE ORIGINALS, awarded the KREATURA 2022 statuette, and host of his own film-themed format ZEROEKRANOWE on Kanal Zero (YouTube). Winner of the Wiktor Award and awards for achievements in the field of art criticism: the Stanisław Wyspiański Award, 1st class, the State Film Institute Award and the Polish Journalists' Association Award. Holder of the title ‘Master of Polish Speech’.
Agata Biziuk
Theatre and film director, playwright and academic lecturer with many years of teaching experience. She works at the intersection of artistic practice and education, combining the creative process with social, critical and ethical reflection. She specialises in working with young artists, developing original artistic language and teaching based on process, dialogue and creative responsibility.
Janek Simon
He lives and works in Warsaw.
Simon is a conceptual artist and occasional curator. He is interested in cultural geography, particularly the issue of difference and distance between places, anarchism, as well as self-made technology and its political potential. His works have been shown at Manifesta 7, the Liverpool Biennial, Guangzhou, Prague and Ljubljana, as well as in solo exhibitions at Arnolfini in Bristol, Casino Luxembourg and many public institutions in Poland. In 2007, he received the main prize in the ‘Spojrzenia’ competition and was also nominated for Polityka's Passport Award. He co-founded the autonomous art space Goldex Poldex in Krakow.
Marta Nowak
Journalist, columnist, internet creator. Co-host of the podcast ‘Co to będzie’ (Gazeta.pl) about global politics and the phenomena that shape it. Graduate of applied linguistics at the University of Warsaw.
Joanna Krakowska
She is a historian of contemporary theatre, essayist and editor. She works at the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences and lectures at the Theatre Academy in Warsaw. She led the feminist research project ‘HyPaTia’ devoted to women in Polish theatre. She is the co-author of the books 'Soc i Sex'. Diagnozy teatralne i nieteatralne ('Soc and Sex: Theatrical and Non-Theatrical Diagnoses') (2009) and 'Soc, sex i historia' ('Soc, Sex and History') (2014). She is the author of the monograph 'Mikołajska. Teatr i PRL' ('Mikołajska: Theatre and the Polish People's Republic') (2011), two volumes of the series 'Teatr Publiczny. Przedstawienia' ('Public Theatre: Performances') (2016-2019) and the book 'Odmieńcza rewolucja. Performans na cudzej ziemi' ('The Changeling Revolution: Performance on Foreign Soil') (2020), which won the Gdynia Literary Award