CLOSER TO THE CLOUDS. I'LL BE BACK SOON

in the director of Ewy Konstancji Bułhak

Premiere 22 January 2022. Academy of Theatre in Warsaw

Diploma performance by fourth-year students of acting, specialising in acting and vocalism

Before the premiere, I spoke to Aleksandra Ożóg, the actress of the show. Her role is the Bride.

Tomasz Ostrowski: The performance CLOSER CLOUDS. NOW I'M FALLING created and performed exclusively by women, both actresses and producers. This female ensemble was led by Ewa Konstancja Bułhak. How long did the preparations take?

Aleksandra Ożóg: We started rehearsals in the autumn and they continue to this day. We even managed to get together over the Christmas break. It is a completely original project. The script and lyrics were written by Ms Ewa Konstancja Bułhak, the show's director. The music is by Olga Lisiecka, a recent graduate of the Academy. The choreography is also by a student and graduate of our Academy, Patrycja Grzywińska. We are all making our debuts. The professor directs, and we debut on stage.

But any performances you have prepared in previous years of study?

Yes, but usually at school these are closed exams, possibly only available to those closest to you.

It happens that, with some slippage, some of these are presented to the public.

Yes, but they have to enter the repertory of the Theatre Collegium Nobilium. If they don't enter, they tend to be closed exams.

You are a fourth-year student, just before your graduation performance. What's next in the near future?

At this point, I can only reveal that we will probably be able to prepare a project with the same line-up, but already in the theatre.

There are six of you here. How many people are in the whole year of the acting department?

There are 18 people in the fourth year of the acting department. All six of us are on the vocal specialisation. In the fifth year, we are just writing our thesis.

But during this time can you perform?

In fact, we can perform from the first year with the approval of the school authorities.

In the process of writing your thesis, can you perform too?

We can. Often graduates are asked to take various directing quarters. These are the kind of examinations of directing students. They take place four times a year. And graduates are often enlisted. They perform in such several-minute-long etudes prepared for the exam.

Let's go back to the show. There are six of you. Six women who meet on the roof of a skyscraper. Why on the roof?

I think each for a completely different reason for themselves. The roof is a symbolic place. The script is open-ended, we play with the form a lot. It is a bit of theatre within theatre. Each of us comes to the roof with our own questions and dilemmas. My bride wonders: is this the right one? Is this the way it should be? Or is it different?

The last words in the title: "I'm about to fall" could mean - especially in the context of escaping to the roof of a skyscraper - depressive states, suicidal thoughts?

No. The words have a more symbolic meaning for each of us. It's about that kind of falling down in life. Each of us has such moments.

Now tell us about your role and what all these women come to the roof with?

I play the role of the bride, Julia. A very longing and thirsty girl. I think thirsty most of all for what she has not yet tasted in life. She shares her various fascinations on the roof. She fantasises a lot, talks to animals, to birds. And she wonders: is this the one? Or not this one? Is she supposed to come back. Because we get to know her as she escapes to the roof.

The Angel Girl (Ada Szczepaniak) seems at first to be an ordinary angel. Later, we learn that she is an actress who has been playing only pastorals in the theatre for many years. The angel character is our starting point. She comes with things already arranged in her life. She talks about it. What it was like when she sang those pastorals suspended over the stage. At times, she was not at her best mentally and physically. She wondered what was most important in life. She gave up on the theatre. This is also a reference to the fact that we are at a point in our education and adventure with the Theatre Academy where we have to decide what to do next: do we go into theatre or act more in film? And if theatre, which theatre? This is where a specific theatre comes into play.

Mrs Commandant (Anna Grochowska) is the richest with experience. The oldest of all, she comes to the roof frustrated with her life and fascinated by aviation. After many failed relationships, she decides to finally take a chance on the roof. She records a date, a chat date on Tinder. What will come of it?
Lola (Pola Gonciarz) is a young girl celebrating her birthday. An invisible, typical 21st century teenager. Very lost, lonely. She constructs the world around her, builds everything.

Patapapaja (Zuzanna Galewicz) was originally intended to be such a reflection of contemporary female bloggers and influencers, celebrities. This has expanded a little bit by being an author's project. She has developed her character, she is a showman.

Queen (Katarzyna Kanabus) is a girl who flits from programme to programme called Talent Show. She gets rejected everywhere. However, she fights for her dreams. She would very much like to live her passions, just like us.

I would also like to point out that our work on the performance was accompanied by the assumption that each of us could swap her monologue, her story, with her friend at any time and they would still be very close and important to each of us. Because these are subjects very close to all of us, and this was taken care of by Ewa Konstancja Bułhak. She was very attentive and at the same time very tender to us.

Thank you for talking to me.

Thank you.

CAST:
The Bride - Aleksandra Ożóg
Madam Commander - Anna Grochowska
Queen – Katarzyna Kanabus
Lola – Pola Gonciarz
Patapapaya – Zuzanna Galewicz
Angel – Ada Szczepaniak

CREATIVES:
lyrics, script and direction: Ewa Konstancja Bułhak
music composition: Olga Lisiecka
musical direction: Urszula Borkowska
choreography: Patrycja Grzywińska
sets and costumes: Marzena Wodziak
visualization: Maria Matylda Wojciechowska
director of lights: Paulina Góral