Sunday October 28th, 2007 Teatr Lalek

Teatr Lalek

Teatr Lalek

Zielony Wędrowiec, or The Green Walker

Zielony Wędrowiec, or The Green Walker
fot. Bogumił Gudalewski, zob. też pozostałe zdjęcia w Galerii

Today I attended a performance at Teatr Lalek. The show today was Zielony Wędrowiec, or The Green Walker in English. This colorful fantasy show is reminiscent of a Broadway musical. The scenery and visual effects were beautiful to behold. The cast of actors and puppeteers were superb and the costuming was delightful. The puppets were very unusual with the actors wearing the puppets as a part of their costumes. The performance also featured the use of masks.

Later in the day I met with Pawel and Dasia. Daisa prepared a lovely meal for us. Pawel told me tonight that my photo was posted as "Our Guest" on the Teatr Lalek Webpage.

Teatr Lalek

Saturday October 27th, 2007. Arthur Miller Lecture

The Russian Market

I woke up early today and checked the theatre schedule and there was nothing I could get to see within my time schedule. I prepared a breakfast of sunnyside up, fresh Polish brown eggs and some naturally smoked bacon. Food is so much fresher here and there does not seem to be so much processing of food as in the west. I decided on a walk to the Russian Market. As today was Saturday the market was in full swing and it took me quite some time to walk the market. I find that I enjoy a walk before my lectures to help clear my mind of the cobwebs and to clarify my thoughts on my lecture material. I returned to the Academy and dressed in my suit. I walked up to the lecture hall and spoke to a sizeable group about the changes that occurred in American Drama at the end of the war and into the post war period. The subject author today was the life and works of Arthur Miller including the red scare, H.U.A.C. and Kazan. I screened Into The Post War Years and followed this with a discussion of Miller and finished the 3 hour lecture with a Screening of Death Of A Salesman. Response was wonderful and several students requested assistance and guidance on projects. Pawel joined the lecture in progress after he completed his work with his students. We walked down to the restaurant at the corner and enjoyed dinner together. I spent the evening updating the blog and listening to music.

Friday October 26th 2007

Movie Still

I awoke on Friday and decided to take in the Kino (movie for Americans). I walked down the street turned to corner and went in the Kino Ton which is located next to the Red Church. I paid my 14 Zlotys (think $5.00 US) and took a seat in the middle of the theatre. I sat spellbound and at times repulsed by the images on the screen. On September Katyn opened in Warsaw and then later in other cities around Poland. For those unfamiliar with the name, Katyn is a forest in the former Soviet Union near the city of Smolensk. This is a tale of horror from World War II. Rather than retelling this story I have included the following text from: Our Lady Queen of Poland and St. Maximillian Kolbe Parish,
Silver Spring, MD.

What is the Katyń Forest Massacre?

For a comprehensive analysis, see:
Report No. 2505 of the 82nd Congress, December 1952:
Final Report of the Select Committee to Conduct an Investigation and Study of the Facts, Evidence and Circumstances on the Katyn Forest Massacre
(PDF, 3.7 MB)

In brief: As a result of the Russian attack on Poland on September 17, 1939, a large portion of the Polish army situated east of the Vistula River fell into Russian hands. About 181,000 men were captured and scattered throughout hundreds of labor camps in the Soviet Union. As a result of further arrests in late 1939 and early 1940, this number increased to 230,000. Of that number, 14,500 were officers. Most of these officers were confined in three prisoner-of-war camps: Starobielsk (125 miles east of Kharkov), Kozielsk (95 miles south of Smolensk) and Ostashkov (half way between Moscow and Leningrad, now St. Petersburg).

Beginning in November of 1939, families of these prisoners started receiving correspondence from these camps. After the war, it was established that at least 2,000 prisoners from Starobielsk and Kozielsk camps contacted their families. No letters were ever received from men in the Ostashkov camp. The reason was that of the men on Ostashkov, only a very small number were officers. The majority of these men were members of the Polish National Police and Frontiers Guards KOP, who were definitely not allowed any outside contact. The same rule evidently applied to the few officers interned in the camp.

In May of 1940, all correspondence from Starobielsk and Kozielsk suddenly stopped. In fact, not a single letter was received in Poland from any of the camps after May, 1940.

After the German attack on Russia in 1941, a political pact and then a military agreement were signed between Russia and the Polish government in London. The Polish army began to form on the territory of USSR and the Russian government agreed to release all Poles from POW and labor camps, General Anders, who was released from Butyrki prison in Moscow on July 4, 1941, immediately opened talks with the Russian officials concerning the fate of the officers at the three camps, who were not returned with the others.

On September 20, 1941, Stanisław Kot, the Polish Ambassador to Moscow, in a conversation with the Russian vice-minister, A. Wyshinsky, requested that the search for the missing officers be renewed. His request was supported by an official note from the Polish government-in-exile in London. This re­quest was repeated at further meetings between the two diplomats. Finally, the Russian vice-minister categorically stated that: “all Polish POW in the Russian territory, if any still existed, will be released”. But none arrived at the recruiting centers. According to Stalin, they had all escaped. Not once during these conversations was the possibility mentioned that any of the missing POWs had been captured by the Germans.

In October 1942, a group of Polish railway workers servicing trains on the Warsaw-Smolensk line were told by Russian peasants that in the Katyń woods there were massive graves of Poles murdered by the NKVD in the spring of 1940. The news reached the Germans, who sealed off the area and started investigating.

In April of 1943, the shocking news was announced by the Germans, to the Polish nation and to the whole world. For years afterwards, in spite of all evidence to the contrary, the Soviet government denied any part in the massacre. It was not until 1990 that a formal admission that the murders were committed, not by the Germans, but by the Russians, was finally made.

Today we observe the 65th anniversary of the Massacre in the Katyn Forest and other execution sites of the 14,500 Polish Officers. As we pray that the victims of Katyn enjoy eternal happiness, we honor their noble sacrifice and their heroic death for the Polish cause.

If you have followed along this far you now know about Katyn. What you might not know is that up until recently (1989) this subject did not exist in the Polish history books used by the school system. It was forbidden. I have been told of incidents of teachers merely mentioning this subject were removed from the schools and prohibited from teaching again. Elders would instruct their children and grandchildren “ Learn what they teach you in school, pass your exams and do not forget the horror and tragedy of Katyn.” In 1989 things changed in Poland. Katyn was discussed openly and this film represents one of the first attempts by a Polish film director to deal with this great tragedy. He great Theatre and Film Director, Andrzej Wajda, brings Katyn to the screen. It is, without a doubt, the finest example of cinematic art I have ever witnessed. The film is at once both a narrative and a documentary. The story unfolds with the Polish officers being taken prisoner by the Soviets and then switches its point of view to those of the families and women that await their return. The N.K.V.D., the forerunner of the KGB, took control of the men and carried out the murders. It is said that in Polish N.K.V.D. means “I do not know when I will return home.” It is important that you understand that each officer was held by two members of the N.K.V.D. while a third shot each Polish officer and members of the intelligentsia in the back of the head with a pistol. At the end of this film Wajda forces you to witness the murder of officer after officer. You are at ground level when the blade of the bull dozer pushes the earth onto these poor souls and you witness the hand of a dead officer buried in the earth clutching a Rosary. I sat in the audience weeping and I realized that it was not the 4,000 officers I had thought but the figure was somewhere between 20,000 and 25,000 murdered. The film ends in blackness and silence. The audience left the theatre in silence. I arose and walked to the lobby only to sit down in the lobby to compose myself. For me the day seemed ruined. I was so moved and emotionally devastated by this work of cinematic art. I walked through the streets of Bialystok knowing that at one time the streets were filled with Nazi soldiers and then by the Soviets. As I walked down the street I looked in the faces of the older Poles wondering how many relatives they had lost at Katyn and the two other sites. Through the tears my eyes caught sight of the twin spires of the Red Church, I entered and prayed, wondering when mankind would stop slaying each other and I realized that it was the Polish sense of religion and devotion to God that enabled the Polish people, my ancestors, to survive such tragedy.

Click The Arrow Below To Start the Movie

Thursday October 25th 2007 Supraski

The Fortress

Dasia, Mom, & Pawel In Supraski

Pawel's Parents House in Bialystok

The Church

No Diesel Costs

The Devil From Prague: the Enchanted City

Pawel Vangeli and Christopher

Thursday I attended a performance at Teatr Lalek by Pawel Vangeli entitled Prague: the Enchanted City. Pawel Vangeli is from Prague and tells the many tale of Prague. His theatre is reminiscent of the traveling Commedia Del Arte artists and has the look and feel of days past. Pawel’s website provides a detailed storyline. Prague: the Enchanted City is the adventurous journey of the little boy Christopher and his magic uncle Albert through an enchanted city. Old houses, palaces, and churches open their doors, windows, and walls when uncle Albert knocks on them. Together they encounter colorful characters that evoke the atmosphere of Medieval and Renaissance Prague. An astronomer, a crazy alchemist, and a mystic represent the Czech, German and Jewish cultures that especially influenced this city. Ghosts, devils, and a supernatural creature are Also encountered in their attempt to discover various secrets of the city. Little Christopher gets dangerously caught up in this magical underworld and just manages to escape with the assistance of his uncle Albert. Suddenly the situation completely changes and Christopher is the only one who can save Prague from a dangerous monster.

In an after show interview Pawel related that he was trained in the Academy in Prague but his real training came from years spent performing on the streets of Prague. He has written this show and the puppets and scenery were designed and built by Robert Smolik, also of Prague. The puppets also contribute to the look and medieval feel of the piece. Mr. Smolik’s designs and carvings are also very unique. The performance utilizes Rod Puppets, Marionettes, and a very ingenious puppet that juggle balls and another representing the Devil, featuring a head that flies up above the puppet.

Pawel Vangeli's Website

In the afternoon following a light lunch at Café Lalek of cheese and potato Pierogys (which are THE BEST in Bialystok) I met Pawel, Dasia, and Pawel’s Mother and proceeded to Supraski which is a small village not far from Wasilkow where Pawel and Dasia reside. We arrived at the Ikon museum in time for the last tour. We shared the expense of a guide with another group of visitors. The museum is free and is located at the monastery in Supraski. The museum is less that a year old and features a very large collection of ikons dating from 1405 to the present time. The museum is housed in one of the existing building on the grounds and is set up in a why that gives the feel of days long ago including chanting and very specific lighting effects. All of this yields a feeling of theatre in its presentation of the ikons. Some of the rooms are darkened when you enter and the ikons seem to appear and then disappear into thin air. This lighting and sound adds to the experience and to the understand that the ikons are not merely paintings but religious artifacts that lead one to contemplation of the world beyond. The tour lasted a full hour and the very knowledgeable guide provided many insights to the ikons. When we finished our tour we drove to the land that Pawel’s brother has purchased and then returned to Pawel’s parents house for a fine dinner accompanied by nalafka. In a few short hours I was dozing in my apartment due to the effects of the nalafka. It was indeed a wonderful day.

Monastery Supraski Website

CLICK THE ARROW BELOW TO START THE MOVIE

My Romanian Blog

For those of you that have not seen my Romanian Blog here is the URL for it.
Enjoy,

Mark

Click Link Below!

Mark's Romania Blog 2006

October 23rd, 2007 Bialystok Village Museum

A lovely traditional Polish Tapestry. To those of you that know me well, No! I have not purchased it ...Yet!

Pawel in the Resturant

Museum Road

Reception Room

Wind Mill

Don-Quixote

Traditional Bialystok home which is occupied year roundAnother Carving

Mark and Pawel

Barn used by residents of the museum

Donkey

Grave 1872

1800s Graveyard

Bialystok Thatched Roof Home

Traditional Bialystok Thatched Room Home

Another Bear

The Billy Goat

The Pine Forest

Crosses

Dasia training the Donkey!

Hand Carved Bear

Another Barn

Barn

The Polish Golden Autumn

I awoke early this morning and made further preparations for my Eugene O’Neill lecture. While working on my materials I experienced a revelation about the Fulbright award. The award is truly a gift, not merely the gift of experiencing a foreign academic institution, but a gift of time to pursue those things that matter to an academic scholar. Time is a fleeting commodity and through the grant of the Fulbright I am able to recoup time to study, study without distractions, and to perfect the presentation of this material. Truly a gift of time! Pawel and Dasia came to the Academy to pick me up and we drove outside of the city to the Bialystok Village Museum. This museum is an outdoor museum featuring a village of years gone by consisting of houses, barns, windmills, and even a cemetery with graves from the 1800s. The museum is situated in a White Birch and Pine forest. The air in the country was sharp and crisp, scented with pine, and clearing the mind and senses with each breath. We walked a distance through the forest and arrived at the Folwark Nadawki restaurant. This restaurant is a rustic restaurant keeping with the time period of the museum. We dined on a traditional Polish soup which contained quartered hardboiled eggs and sausage bits. In addition to this traditional soup I ordered potato pancakes. The Podlasie region is a region noted for it’s potatoes and the pancakes were delicious. In addition to the fireplace, which was lighted for us when we arrived in from the cold searing wind, the restaurant features a banquet hall which Pawel and Dasia will have for their wedding reception in June of 2008. They both hope that we will be able to return to Bialystok for their wedding. We finished our meal and walked past the donkey, the goats, and the dog to the edge of the Pine and Birch Forest. We pulled our hats down and wrapped our scarves around us and walked with the winds to our backs to the warmth of their automobile. Autumn may be cold in eastern Poland but it is certainly a season in which one feels truly alive. We joined the procession of trucks bound for Bialystok and arrived at Teatr Lalek in a short time. I spoke with my friend Dr. Marek Waszkiel, had an espresso, and returned to the Academy. This evening I will prepare for tomorrow night’s lecture on Eugene O’Neill.