Krzysztof Warlikowski's theatrical expedition in search of the roots of today's European consciousness and identity.

The starting point is Marcel Proust's monumental novel 'In Search of Lost Time,' which portrays a society undergoing fundamental change associated with the loss of the old hierarchy's significance, the explosion of overt antisemitism, and above all, the outbreak of the first great European war. Referring to Gilles Deleuze's statement that only those dead who have been buried too quickly and too deeply return, Warlikowski calls upon Proust to engage in today's debate about Europe.

The parallelism of time and the struggles Proust had with the material of time obliges the creation of parallel situations. The idea of the performance is not to create a stage equivalent of the novel, but to find a parallel world, a structure through which we will thread our epoch as through the precise eye of Proust's critical gaze, preserving his particularities and sharpness of vision and brilliant sense of humor. Immersed in a time that does not have a linear structure, we approach Proust's radical image in the ideal place where social and spiritual energies circulate, that is, in the theater.

Direction: Krzysztof Warlikowski.

Adaptation: Krzysztof Warlikowski, Piotr Gruszczyński.

Collaboration: Szczepan Orłowski.

Set design and costumes: Małgorzata Szczęśniak.

Music: Jan Duszyński.

Lighting direction: Felice Ross.

Movement: Claude Bardouil.

Video: Denis Gueguin.

Animations: Kamil Polak.

Dramaturgy: Piotr Gruszczyński.

Dramaturgical collaboration: Adam Radecki.

Makeup and hairstyles: Monika Kaleta.

Stage manager and camera operator: Łukasz Jóźków.

Masks: Zofia Remiszewska.

Sculpture: Dominik Dlouhy, Piotr Grzegorek.

Cast: MAGDALENA CIELECKA, CLAUDE BARDOUIL, MARIUSZ BONASZEWSKI, ANDRZEJ CHYRA, EWA DAŁKOWSKA, BARTOSZ GELNER, MAŁGORZATA HAJEWSKA-KRZYSZTOFIK, WOJCIECH KALARUS, MAREK KALITA, MAJA KOMOROWSKA, EWELINA PANKOWSKA, OLGIERD ŁUKASZEWICZ, MAJA OSTASZEWSKA, PIOTR POLAK, JACEK PONIEDZIAŁEK, MAGDALENA POPŁAWSKA.

Cello: MICHAŁ PEPOL.

Production: Nowy Teatr.

Co-production: Ruhrtriennale, Théâtre National de Chaillot (Paris), Comédie de Genève, Comédie de Clermont-Ferrand, la Filature (Mulhouse), le Parvis – Scène Nationale Tarbes Pyrénée.

January 9, 2025, 19:00: tickets for seniors PRA: 25 PLN, subtitles in Polish, induction loop.

January 10, 2025, 18:00: touch tour.

January 10, 2025, 19:00: subtitles in English, French; induction loop, audio description.

January 11-12, 2025, 18:00: subtitles in English, French; induction loop.

Duration of the performance: 4 hours 30 minutes with breaks.

Information for viewers: in the performance, actors smoke herbal nicotine-free cigarettes. They are not harmful to viewers.

'The French' is Krzysztof Warlikowski's latest theatrical expedition in search of the roots of present-day European mentality and identity.

Its starting point is Marcel Proust's monumental novel, 'In Search of Lost Time,' which depicts a society in upheaval, shaken by the erosion of the old hierarchy, rampant antisemitism, and, above all, by the outbreak of the Great War. Channeling Gilles Deleuze's remark that 'the only dead who return are those whom one has buried too quickly and too deeply,' Warlikowski invokes Proust to reflect on the condition of today's Europe, ironically encapsulated by the French people of a hundred years ago, which explains the play's thought-provoking title.

Doing justice to Proust's vision of various times that exist in parallel, and his efforts to convey the complexities of time will require the creation of parallel situations. The intention is not to produce an on-stage equivalent of the novel, but to find a parallel world, a structure through which our period can be passed as if through the needle's eye of Proust's critical gaze, keeping his clarity of vision and brilliant wit. Immersed in non-linear time, we can examine Proust's radical image in the ideal setting of the theatre, with all its social and spiritual energy. This is a major European theatre project with performance, video, dance and live music.

based on IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME.

by Krzysztof Warlikowski.

opening August 21, 2015 at Ruhrtriennale.

Subtitles: English, French.

Play duration: 4 hours 30 minutes with breaks.