Before the premiere, I spoke to Weronika Bochat-Piotrowska, actress of the show

Tomasz Ostrowski: Let's start with the origins of this show, because its history is quite long. It all started about 9-10 months ago?

Weronika Bochat-Piotrowska: May 2019 to be exact.

You met with Anna Smolar for a four-day workshop. You talked more about yourself than about the show.

We got to know each other.

You were already eight months pregnant. From these workshops and mutual conversations, the concept for the show emerged?

We met again in September.

In what direction were these workshops conducted?

Anna wanted to get to know us as students and as people. We also got to know Ania and her working style a bit, and we improvised a lot on all sorts of topics. We had such an assignment that everyone had to tell a story from their life, after which: one, two, three and the other people impersonated the characters from the story. It was very interesting. And that's really what we did for those four days, and four months later we met again. By then Stefcia was three months old. I came to rehearse with her. Natalia Fiedorczuk, who wrote the script for the play, was also at that meeting. The conversations were about what it could be. Whether we would fly a little musically or maybe not. What kind of theatre would we want? What haven't we touched on at school yet? We knew that rehearsals would start on 7 January.

In fact, a week and a half before rehearsals started, I received an email from Ania saying that for her, Stefania's presence was crucial in this show, could Stefania take part? I, of course, panicked. How so, after all everything was organised. Husband ready, during rehearsals taking care of Stefania, because I care about her graduation. Our arrangements were: I do the diploma, my husband takes care of Stefania. The brainstorming was obviously huge. My first shots, some thoughts were going in the direction of: "What will people say? How will it go on? The key phrase was my husband. He said this is a process I don't know and it would be a shame to close myself off to it straight away, and I always have the option to change my mind in the middle if something doesn't feel right.

Here, Stefania received a lot of care, acceptance and love. In fact, it was such a two-way bend. Anne has treated Stefania as a separate individual, who if she has humours it is accepted, she is noticed and is very important to us. My group mates have helped me a lot and continue to help with the care of the child. You can feel the good energy. So we decided, well we do it together.

As I know, your group of musical theatre acting students are very interconnected. And this must have influenced the atmosphere and acceptance of entering responsibly into a relationship with a mother and a baby of several months?

Yes. Definitely yes, and that's why I think her presence among us has an emotional effect on everyone. It is such a very noble job. Work that I, of course, have never experienced and yet in such specific conditions. I think the bigger problem in all of this was me than Stefcia. At the beginning I had doubts. How am I going to embrace it? How am I supposed to concentrate on the diploma when here a crunch or something else, once running somewhere, once catching something? It was quite chaotic at the beginning, but under the watchful eye of Ania, Malgosia the assistant, Mateusz and, above all, our whole group - which I emphasise - we managed, although every performance here will be totally different and unpredictable.

As Anna Smolar said in an interview: "The play is a portrait of people who, when faced with having to care for a tiny child, are affected by strong emotions, sucked into a space of anxiety and begin to work through their bad dreams." As we saw, the short scenes presented were traumatic.

Yes, whereas Stefania and I don't take part in scenes that might actually show difficult energy. It's choreographed in such a way that if the scene doesn't involve her, then we're not on stage. The performance is powerful. I think it will affect everyone very individually. Because it touches on a subject that touches each of us. It triggers memories and the good ones, the weaker ones and the worse ones, which is why Stefania will not be on stage during those bad dreams.

Who looks after your child when they are backstage, in the dressing room. Is he or she always with you?

He is almost always with me. There are very brief moments when she remains under the watchful care of her colleagues. I am totally at ease because we have grown close, no longer just as me Veronica, but as mum, daughter and the people in my group.

The presence of a several-month-old daughter, her natural yet spontaneous behaviour will force the participants of the performance to react differently from Natalia Fiedorczuk's script. Are you all prepared for improvisation?

Yes, because the script of the play is an interesting subject. Natalia's book was the most important thing, while a lot of the scenes are our improvisations. It's very interesting that with the experiences we had after reading Natalia's book, we went in with our ideas. So we have a lot of input into the script, and we are also prepared that the order of the scenes may change, and thus our situations may change too. Importantly, I am not alone in this. We've already become so confident that sometimes I don't even look around and the situation is already contained.

Normally, students have two graduation performances. The performance 'Hymns' will be your first and last graduation performance, which means that the university authorities have approached your individual case with great understanding and are very sympathetic to you.

So much so. It's just that it works both ways, because I care a lot about it too. I've never had a passive attitude, as the university authorities can see and have seen before. That's why, thanks to a lot of support, but I think also thanks to my own determination, I decided to get to this stage that we are doing a degree. I'll be honest - even though I've never done a diploma before - everything that's going on here is so undiplomatic, rather totally magical. I have this sense that I'm in a creative process and I don't want it to end. It feels very noble.

You have had different experiences, you have had many professors on your path. Classes with different artists who, with their own talents and visions, come to you and open the doors to their worlds.

With Ani, I sometimes have this feeling, you have to give up absolutely everything you can. To be here and now, to react as one feels in that moment. It's a situation of a little bit of discomfort, and on the other hand it's a feeling of being here and now, I can't explain it any better, but it's absolutely a no-holds-barred ride. And I like that. Anyway, Anna has taken great care of us. She talks to us a lot. She's interested in us as people, not just as actors. And I find it hard to believe that it's all coming to an end this week.

What is also interesting with this diploma is that group mates can participate in the parental care process, which is extremely rare.

They certainly do. From my point of view they are doing super, sometimes even better than me, because they have a certain natural distance. All I can say is the same superlatives about their care for my child. You know, getting up in the morning, organising for her to be with me, at first I had to adjust to the fact that I'm not alone here, that I have to organise it somehow. Now I don't think much will surprise me anymore.

Now tell us about your practical theatrical out-of-school experiences.

In my case, I didn't start my studies straight after secondary school. A couple of good years later, having previously played in the ROMA Musical Theatre.

How did you get there?"

I came from Solec Kujawski for a casting call.

Have you had any musical training?

I didn't have any music school behind me. I enjoyed singing. After the casting, it turned out that yes, I was engaged. I moved to Warsaw and started working. I started with 'Mr. Kleks Academy', then there was 'Phantom of the Opera', 'Les Miserables' and I was engaged further on.

How old were you when you started working in the theater?

I was fourteen years old at the time. I was in the third year of secondary school. Along the way there were also the RAMPA Theatre and the SYRENA Theatre, until the moment came when I decided that life is not about intuition alone. I felt that I knew something, but I didn't really know in what direction. That's how I came up with the idea of coming to the Theatre Academy. I got in. I started creating with the group of people you see today. Not from today, anyway.

This is how I have been watching you guys for the previous years. This year is great. And already the performance of "Arrival" is an absolute revelation. It's a pity you couldn't attend. Because it is an excellent showcase for both the actors and the school.

Exactly. Yes, I was there, I cried, I got emotional, I kept my fingers crossed. I'm in the process, albeit a little bit kind of beside myself. However, I made the decision not to do everything at once. I hope that my paths with Wojtek Kościelniak will one day merge.

There will be castings. There will be a performance of 'Pretty Woman' at the Variete Theatre in Krakow. For this casting, Wojciech Kościelniak invites the students of your year.

Very possibly, because an excellent bond has formed between Wojtek Koscielniak and the rest of the group. Because these are very hard-working and, above all, hellishly talented people who want to. They simply want to.

But the master is also excellent.

Undoubtedly, yes.

Let's go back to what happened during your studies, about your extracurricular activities.

During my studies, I started working with SYRENA Theatre in productions: "The Adams Family" and "Next to normal".

These are relatively young shows with premieres in 2018 and 2019, and both are in the theatre's current repertoire. Constantly playing then?

I went back to work quite quickly after giving birth, because I had to do my premiere of 'Next to normal' in October and I also stayed in 'The Adams Family'. And going back to the beginning of my studies, Natalia Kujawa and I had already come to school with our work. But we didn't hide the fact that we were working and visiting. We managed to combine this, also thanks to the school's acceptance. But also with the great discipline we imposed on ourselves and with the great help of our colleagues, who sat with us on many weekends, even though they could have had the weekend off, so that we could make up for the missed material.

Do you already have any concrete, stable job offers after school?

I don't have concrete proposals, I don't have plans. For the moment I don't know what I want to do. My husband and I are also thinking about something of our own, from the other side.

A theatrical production?

Yes, but we will see. Because it's in the realm of observation for now.

I'll be watching.

I'd really appreciate it.

This musical direction of yours is very demanding on the job market. There are few musical theatres in relation to dramatic stages. There are casting calls for every production, which is very aggravating as it involves risk.

Risk is inherent in this profession, especially as there are few musical theatres such as the Siren Theatre where a group of actors are employed full-time. We are mainly employed for the duration of the performance. We have a job when the show is in the theatre's repertoire. When the show ends its life, we don't have it. This is the thankless part of this profession.

But you are first and foremost an actress. Have you ever considered working in dramatic theatre as well?

I'm closer to the musical form all the time. I am looking forward to this meeting with Anna Smolar, because here we are not only singing. The singing here is in addition to the acting. So it is an amazing meeting for me.

Thank you for the conversation and see you at the performances.

See you. Thank you. ​

 

HYMNS

PERFORMANCE:
Dominik Bobryk
Weronika Bochat-Piotrowska
Patrycja Grzywińska
Filip Karaś
Natalia Kujawa
Małgorzata Majerska

CREATIVES:
The script for the performance by Natalia Fiedorczuk, in cooperation with Anna Smolar and acting ensemble.

Directing and drama: Anna Smolar
Libretto and dramaturgy: Natalia Fiedorczuk
Music: Maciej Cieślak
Set design, costumes, lighting: Mateusz Atman
Choreography: Patrycja Grzywińska
Artistic collaboration: Małgorzata Gorol
Assistant Directors:
Ewa Galica (2nd year of Directing)
Weronika Kuśmider (4th year of Directing)