Anna Smolar works at Lithuanian National Drama Theatre

The new work of the Polish director Anna Smolar, who has presented her play Slowed down at the LNDT, will explore the mechanism of manipulation, especially in the context of power-based labour relations. The inspiration for the performance comes from the memoirs of Tippi Hedren, the famous Hollywood actress and star of Alfred Hitchcock films, published in 2016.

"I found the girl", Hitchcock said when he saw her, a model he didn't know at the time, in a TV commercial. He immediately invited her to work with him and made her famous with the great roles of Melanie Daniels and Margaret Edgar in The Birds and Marnie. But behind the Cinderella-like facade lies a much more complex and painful reality: the legendary director did not want to share her with anyone and persuaded the inexperienced aspiring actress, who was struggling to believe in her own success, to sign a 7-year contract under which Tippi committed herself to work only for him. Hitchcock's relationship with Hedren was morbid and multifaceted: he became her teacher and mentor, but at the same time he controlled her every move, interfered in her private life and isolated her from others. Finally, when Tippi's contract was terminated, the director went to great lengths to destroy her professional life.

Based on studies by psychologists and accounts of similar experiences, it is clear that the tension, chronic stress and trauma created by such relationships are close and recognisable to many. This creates a similar pattern of the consequences of long-term persecution. Referring to some of the effects in Hitchcock's film, this performance is a subjective reconstruction of the making of The Birds. By adopting the image of menacing and savage creatures, the aim is to highlight the dynamics of such relationships, enabled by the deeply ingrained patterns in our societies, and to show a heroine who is driven towards dissent and resistance.

 

Director - Anna SMOLAR

Dramaturgy and lyrics - Iga GAŃCZARCZYK, Anna SMOLAR

Scenographer and Costume Designer - Anna MET

Composer - Jan Antoni DUSZYNSKI

Light Designer - Dainius URBONIS

Choreographer - Paweł SAKOWICZ

Light and Video Projection Designer - Ville SEPPÄNEN

Video Projection Designer - Ville SEPPÄNEN

Assistant to the Dramaturg and Text Writers - Viktorija SKETERYTĖ

Assistant Director - Rokas LAŽAUNYKAS

Producer - Kamilė ŽIČKYTĖ

Cast: Rasa SAMUOLYTĖ, Rytis SALADŽIUS, Gediminas RIMEIKA, Augustė POCIŪTĖ, Nelė SAVIČENKO

The play was translated from Polish by Agnė ŠORIENĖ and Artur ZAPALOWSKI