There is a village that does not exist. The houses are gone, they were destroyed. There was supposed to be a heap here, but the mine changed its mind. However, there are the residents, though they live somewhere else now. Today, after twenty years since the village had been shut down, these residents tidy up the areas of former properties, mow grass, sow lupine flowers, meet at picnics and dances, and every year they organize a grand intergenerational convention, where they choose Miss and Mister of the village.
"Longing" is a fantasy show inspired by conversations with former residents of the village of Wigancice Żytawskie (Lower Silesia Province, Bogatynia commune), displaced in 1999 as a result of the decision of the local mine. The creators of the show listen to local stories and create a universal story about wanting to return home. It is a spectacle in which Czech is spoken out of love, the spirits of heap workers are summoned out of longing, and in the hope of a better tomorrow, Elżbieta Jaworowicz is called for help. "Longing" is about people attached to "their place", even if it seems cursed.
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Special thanks to former residents of Wigancice Żytawskie: Lucyna Burczyńska, Elżbieta Lech-Gotthardt, Tomasz Mielech, Krystyna Proch and Zbigniew Szatkowski.
The performance uses stage smoke and the stroboscopic effect (light pulsating with high frequency) – people sensitive to these theatrical effects are asked to be especially careful.
The performance was created in cooperation with the New Epiphanies Festival as a result of the Laboratory of New Epiphanies.
