If the name doesn’t ring the bell, let’s just say Krystyna Janda  is the greatest living (and arguably the greatest ever) Polish actress. Both film and theatre – to avoid unnecessary understatements. In 1986 and 1987 she and Magda Umer (a valued poetry singer and theatre director) made headlines with a play about a young woman and her efforts to survive in the surrealistic Poland of the early 1980s. It was an adaptation of a story by Agnieszka Osiecka (again, one of Poland’s greatest post-war song writers and playwrights) and it was a play adored by a generation of fans, with around 200 performances across the country. A simple story of a simple woman tangled in a not-so-simple story of Poland during the Martial Law. The audiences here loved it for two reasons. Firstly, a brilliant screenplay that perfectly captured the state of mind, emotions and fears of people during that time. Secondly, a brilliant Krystyna Janda. The play was very quickly hailed as “legendary” and “cult”. Naturally, revivals of this sort of productions (after almost 25 years!) are always extremely risky. This time, however, the same battle-tested combo (main actress and the director) has proved that their particular excellence simply does not age. The current play (which, to be precise, is a music spectacle illustrated with remarkable film footage displayed on big screens) has been getting enthusiastic reviews since its opening night, June 4th 2010. The date is of importance here: it marks the 21st anniversary of the first free parliamentary elections after II World War in Poland.
Let’s put it this way: not speaking Polish is not enough of an excuse to miss this play. We are particularly keen on guests from abroad to see it because this is Polish theatre at its very best. And of course one gets to see the Polish equivalent of Meryl Streep on stage. Trust us: seeing Krystyna Janda perform in Biała Bluzka is believing.
As you may have heard, this year’s Solidarity of Arts coincides with Solidarność’s 30th birthday. It is therefore only fitting that Biała Bluzka, such emblematic play of that particular time, is one of the major highlights of our festival.

Generously supported by the National Centre for Culture