Pieces of a Woman directed by Kornél Mundruczó

A feminist family drama set in present day Warsaw, powered by the strength and determination of female characters. A family get-together shows, as if through a lens, the problems and internal conflicts of Polish society. The performance with English surtitles will be staged in Nowy Teatr in Warsaw.

The protagonist of the play, 30-year-old Maja struggles with a personal tragedy. In order to get back on track, she must question her old life and rebuild from scratch the relationships with her family. “Pieces of a Woman” is an evocative picture of modern women who fight for the right to decide about their own life. Kornél Mundruczó – director, and Kata Weber – author of the script, portrait each character with great empathy – they don’t judge or criticize any of the characters gathered around the family table. The performance employs cinematographic means of expression and captivates the viewers with intimate narrative, the realism of the details and tenderness of the actor’s creations. “Pieces of a Woman” is a second, after “The Bat” (premiere 2012, prod. TR Warszawa), Kornél Mundruczó’s play produced in Poland. Both performances have gained recognition of Polish and international audiences.

The show asks the question of who owns a woman's body. Can women decide for themselves? We also wonder how we deal with taboos, what our limitations are. A similar issue appeared in "The Bat," but there we were dealing with a black, grotesque operetta, while this time we are much closer to life and our reality. My latest show is similar to "Imitation of Life" - the performance I created in Budapest. I have changed my perspective a bit, I want to be closer to everyday human affairs, to what is normal, not extreme.

The path taken by Maja is the everywoman’s path. Maya experiences what all women experience when their longings are squashed. The are crushed by pain untill the time when they can unfurl and re-open, ready for a life of greater awareness, depth and, of course, joy. The combination of feminine relationships shown in our play is authentic. It contains love, rage, disappointment and healing, associated today with intimacy.