In its legendary production „MAGNIFICAT”, THE CHORUS OF WOMEN confronts the most important image in the Catholic Church – the figure of the Holy Virgin Mary. Its ideological and aesthetic power. The magnetic force of this holy icon of femininity.

Bible verses, culinary recipes, texts by Elfriede Jelinek and Adam Mickiewicz, and excerpts from Euripides’ „Bacchae” are mixed by the chorus with electronic sounds, the clicking of shutters and flash lamps or quotes from newspapers. The rhythmized speech and the pop-musical phrase interlock with traditional forms of liturgical music. The notes of the „Magnificat” are sampled; they become the accompaniment for cultural texts and advertisements. An ideological sound remix is created. The Mother of God comes down from sacred paintings.

„MAGNIFICAT” is a statement on [the position of] the woman in the Catholic Church power system. Without holy and unholy words. It is a post-opera form which gives birth to a polyphonic, pop-cultural MAGNIFICAT (Marta Górnicka).

The performance has been presented at numerous international festivals including: in France (at the La Vilette – La Grande Halle in Paris, METTRE EN SCENE Festival in Rennes, Festival International de Theatre SENS INTERDITS in Lyon, European Theatre Festival PREMIERES in Strasbourg, Festival La Rose des Vents in Villeneuve d’Ascq, Theatre National d’Arras, Festival Écoute/Voir in Tours, Festival Parallèle in Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Martigues), in Germany (at the BERLINER FESTSPIELE Foreign Affairs, Hebbel Am Uffer – Berlin, „Fast Forward” European Festival for Young Stage Directors in Braunschweig, Forum Freies Theater in Düsseldorf), in Switzerland (at the Dokumentartage IT’S THE REAL THING in Basel, Antigel Festival in Geneva, Festival de la Cité in Lausanne), Bosnia and Herzegovina (International Theater Festival MESS Sarajevo), in England (at the European Artsand Theatre Festival in Notthingham), in Greece (at the Onasis Cultural Center in Athens), in the Netherlands (at the SPRING Festival in Utrecht) and in Austria (at the International Performing Arts Festival SZENE in Salzburg). It received the prestigious Silver Laurel Wreath award for the Best International Production at the Theater Festival MESS in Sarajevo. Marta Górnicka has also received the first prize for stage direction at the “Fast Forward” European Festival for Young Stage Directors in Braunschweig.

Project co-founded by the capital city of Warsaw.