Artist Bio

Teatr Zar

The Gospels of Childhood Triptych
(2002–2010, Bay Area Premiere)
Presented by SFIAF and the Polish Cultural Institute in New York City

SFIAF is proud to present the northern California debut of Teatr Zar, the resident company at the Grotowski Institute in Wroclaw, Poland. The Gospels of Childhood Tripych is the culmination of artistic director, Jaroslaw Fret and the company’s more than 10 years of investigative research and development into ancient sacred songs. It is a seminal work that also builds on the nearly half a century of teaching and exploration conducted by Jerzy Grotowski. The company emulates Grotowski’s ethos of ensemble work and develops its productions through a long process of creating its own theatrical language. A language that, like Grotowski’s in the last years of his life, utilizes Eastern Orthodox music as a source for the creation of a performance that seeks to recreate the very roots of theatre itself.

*N.B. There are three separate ticketed shows in the Triptych:
Part One Gospels of Childhood: Overture (7:00pm),
Part Two Caesarian Section (8:15pm),
Part Three Anhelli: The Calling (9:30pm).

Each part of the Triptych can be seen as a stand alone show or as part of a series. Purchase all three shows in advance as a series discount for $48 (or $36 at the March Early Bird price). The starting times of Parts Two and Three are approximations—Patrons should check for more detailed information when purchasing tickets.

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Teatr ZAR takes audiences on a journey of polyphonic sound. Death, mourning, suicide, ritual and resurrection are essential themes in Teatr ZAR’s work. The group represents one of the most interesting trends in contemporary Polish theatre, described as ‘theatre out of the spirit of music’.

After an extremely successful 2009 US tour which included performances at Chicago’s Millennium Park and at UCLA Live, Teatr ZAR is coming to the US for the third time. This time, at the San Francisco International Arts Festival, the group will perform Gospels of Childhood. The Triptych, three pieces based on the Bible, the Apocrypha, and incorporating Byzantine and Sardinian hymns and Orthodox irmos songs (which are performed live). The triptych is the fullest presentation of Teatr ZAR’s work-–the result of over seven years of research and theatrical work.

The work stems from a fascination with cultural difference and is based on the songs that the group members collect through meetings and expeditions. We are convinced that presenting such work in the US leads to a deepened understanding of it because of the exceptional openness of US audiences.

The two earlier parts of the project, Gospels of Childhood and Caesarean Section. Essays on Suicide, have been presented individually or as a diptych in countries such as Poland, Italy, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the UK, Egypt, Korea, India and the US. Teatr ZAR first presented Gospels of Childhood. The Triptych in London in September 2009 as part of Polska! Year, which comprised of 200 projects showcasing the achievements of Polish culture in the UK. The event included the world premiere of the third part of the triptych, Anhelli. The Calling. Other presentations, given as part of UCLA Live’s eighth International Theatre Festival in December in Los Angeles, earned the company the distinction of best new musical theatre (Los Angeles Times).

The journey with Teatr ZAR will lead you through an experience that Prof. Dariusz Kosinski once described as, "Theatre born from musicality gives us a total experience created especially for us ... The experience is almost physiological, born from the captivating rhythm of breaths and vibrating darkness, filled with song, creeping close to your skin, getting to the internal vibrations within the spectator…."

After seeing The Triptych, Barbara Lanciers wrote, "In the heart of Theatre ZAR is a passion for the preservation of the past while keeping their eyes firmly fixed on the future. The work of the company is truly a celebration of life through the examination of death."

Mark Swed of LA Times, in ‘Short, sacred, haunting,’ writes, "Polish troupe Teatr ZAR finds beauty in abstract ritual with its riveting Gospels of Childhood’."