Witkacy Pod Strzechy

It began with a celebration of the anniversary of the artist’s death. Stanisław Miedziewski set out to give Witkacy a bit of attention and space on the scene. The effect of his work was the first eccentric evening “Urodziny Stasia” (“Stanisław’s birthday”) in February 1992. This event accumulated professional actors, amateurs, youth, and all of those for whom theatre is a passion. Stanisław Miedziewski is a director who has the ability and way to gather 40 actors, dancers, pupils, students, teachers, journalists, retired people, dance groups and folk choirs on one scene. The idea was received so enthusiastically that the decision was made to make it an annual celebration. “A Vampyre in a blottle”, “Pulp Witkac”, “Cocaine seans”, “Theatrical rage”, “DissONANce” are just a few of the names of evenings so eccentric, that none of them were able to be repeated, despite the fact that the audience was very numerous for the stage in our Rondo Theatre. Yet each of those events enveloped in the artistic spirit of Witkacy had a unique and unrepeatable atmosphere. A critic once called it a “Humbug” which means a fraud or nonsense. The organizers took this name to liking and adapted it ever since. Those fleeting and unforgettable evenings soon became too narrow for the unlimited inventiveness of the participants. The event grew and future editions last for even a week.

When Stanisław Miedziewski saw the enormous interest in Witkacy’s works he proposed an event in the form of a contest on the date of Witkacy’s death. “Witkacy pod strzechy” was first an event for the inhabitants of the region, young adepts of arts. The organisational talent of one Jolanta Krawczykiewicz soon took the event to a national level. What is especially important in “Witkacy pod strzechy”? The answer is everything! The project is not limited by any paradigm and aims to inspire the participants with painting, philosophy, drama, novels, poetry, drawings, or photography as well as theatre, dance, or performance. The organisers pay homage to the absolute freedom of form and content of the presentation with the “love and do what you want” philosophy. The competition has no limit as to the form of the performance, it can be recitation, monodrama, “derived from word”, singing, artistic installation, photography, and any other works of art and all the types of artistic currents: turnaroud-contafaudism, neo-pseudo-cretinism, fictobrutism and whatever-you-want-to-sayism.

It is a chance for people inspired by the artistic works by Wiktacy to present their feelings, thoughts, and experiences. The competition is judged by a one-person eccentric jury, who awards prizes as they see fit. In the recent years the eccentric jury were Marek Sosnowski, Bogusław Semotiuk, Daniel Kalinowski, Ewa Ignaczak, Irena Jun, Bartosz Zaczykiewicz, Ziuta Zającówna, Janusz Degler and Maciej Witkiewicz.

To this date 364 participants took part in the contest with 140 unique presentations which could not be fit in a category. Prizes awarded could not be counted. The amount of money in the envelopes remains a mystery to this day. About 87,5 kilogrammes of apples were given out. Is that little?

We cordially invite you to take part in future editions.