At an insane asylum run by an eccentric doctor, one of the nurses dies in unexplained circumstances. This is only the beginning of a series of unexpected twists, paradoxes and suspenseful criminal plots involving the patients and staff at the facility. And it is not at all obvious who in this story is just pretending to be a madman and who is really one. Dürrenmatt continually plays with the audience's habits and expectations, posing extremely topical questions in this day and age about the consequences of scientific developments and the moral responsibility of scientists for the consequences of their discoveries. He exposes the fine line between normality and madness, courage and cowardice, sacrifice and selfishness. "The Physicists" is an irony-filled tragic comedy with brilliant, witty dialogue, expressive characters and a surprising, precisely constructed plot.

Before the premiere, I spoke to Elisabeth Nagel and Ina Maria Krawczyk, the actresses of the play.

Tomasz Ostrowski: Friedrich Dürrenmatt's plays, appreciated all over the world, are rarely staged in Poland. Yet in the period 1957-1967, Dürrenmatt's dramas could be admired by Warsaw audiences thanks to the Warsaw City Drama Theatre. As many as 8 of the author's dramas were staged there during this period. One of them, Frank V in 1962, was directed by Konrad Swiniarski. The following year, only a year after he wrote the drama "The Physicists", it was directed at this theatre by Ludwik René. During the preparations for the premiere, Friedrich Dürrenmatt visited the theatre to meet the actors and creators. I'm not sure if Dürrenmatt's text has been taken to theatre schools before. How do you guys feel about this repertoire?

Elżbieta Nagel: The text is very witty and has outlines of comedy in itself. We feel very comfortable with the text and the play, because it gives us a lot of possibilities, and the convention in which we play gives us the opportunity to move to a slightly different time, to be a slightly different person than we are now in our contemporaries.

Ina Maria Kaczmarek: It also gives us a lot of freedom. I, personally, had previously seen The Visit of the Old Lady at the Dramatic Theatre. We've all been to the play, our whole year, and I'll admit that when Martin threw us a proposal for a Dürrenmatt drama, we all unanimously decided: this is how we do PHYSICS. We really liked the text and decided that we wanted to perform it and that's what we wanted to show.

Reading the text of the play, we have no doubt that its content is very topical.

E. N. It is about the responsibility for our actions and the responsibility of science for the future fate of the world. The responsibility the elite may have for modern society. What it is not doing and what it should do. This is no morality play on our part. We go very far from that, but we pose the question - is this elite doing enough as it should be doing? That, for me, is the most important thing about this show....

I. M. K. At the end of the play we find out what one human being can do to another human being.

You both take turns being Dr Mathilde von Zahnd, a psychiatrist, director of a psychiatric hospital, and someone who is very seriously 'messing around' in the hospital.

E. N. Yes, you can say that.

I. M. K.Yes, she is responsible for most of the situations that occur there.

Which threaten humanity.

E. N. Yes, they threaten humanity, and he seems at first to be a very friendly and harmless person.

I. M. K. Apply it to the wound.

E. N. Yes, a harmless woman.

I. M. K. But she cares about her patients, and she needs to give it to her.

E. N. In a way, very much, but he cares about his patients.

You both have the opportunity to play three characters in this performance.

I. M. K. Yes.

E. N. These are the roles of Dr Mathilde von Zahnd, Blocher the policeman photographer and Adolf Friedrich the eldest of Mrs Lina Rose's three sons.

You will act interchangeably as Dr. Matilda, but when do you perform the other two roles?

E. N. Dr Matilda does not combine with the other roles. When we are not playing this character we are in the other two roles.

Because of your interchangeable roles, two premieres have been specially prepared.

I. M. K.  Yes, on 27 and 28 January 2019, you are welcome.

What's in store for you this school year?

E. N. This is our last graduation performance. Now we are faced with a battle for posts.

In this show, you have the chance to shine individually, because, for example, Agata Duda-Gracz's beautiful performance 'Settings with the saints, or conversations with paintings', was largely a group performance by almost all students of the graduating year of the acting course. Now is the time to showcase their individual abilities.

E. N. We are fortunate to have this opportunity, for which we thank Marcin Hycnar, the show's director.

Thank you for talking to me. I would like to see you as often as possible, including after graduation.

E. N. + I. M. K. Thank you very much.

PHYSICISTS
original name: Die Physiker
author: Friedrich Dürrenmatt
translation: Irena Krzywicka i Jan Garewicz
directing: Marcin Hycnar
sets and costumes: Martin Kander
Light Direction: Karolina Gębska
music consultations: Mateusz Dębski
assistant director: Agata Zdzieblowska
directing collaboration/assistant internship: Sławomir Narloch (III direction of directing)

CAST:
Doktor Matylda von Zahnd, psychiatra: Ina Maria Krawczyk / Elizabeth Nagel
Martha Ball, Head of Nursing: Natalia Jędruś
Monica Stettler, nurse: Justyna Fabisiak / Malwina Laska
Uwe Sievers, Senior Nurse: Sebastian Figat
Murillo, the nurse: Mariusz Urbaniec
Herbert Georg Beitler named Newton, a patient; Jędrzej Hycnar
Ernest Henry Ernesti called Einstein, patient: Bartosz Bednarski
Jan Wilhelm Möbius, patient: Piotr Kramer
Misjonarz Oskar Rose: Mariusz Urbaniec
Lena Rose, the missionary's wife: Monika Cieciora
Adolf Fryderyk: Ina Maria Krawczyk / Elizabeth Nagel
Wilfryd Gaspar: Justyna Fabisiak / Malwina Laska
Jörg Lukas: Sebastian Figat
Richard Voss, Police Inspector: Michał Dąbrowski
Medical Examiner: Sebastian Figat
Guhl, policeman: Justyna Fabisiak / Malwina Laska
Blocher, a police officer: Ina Maria Krawczyk / Elizabeth Nagel