Grotowski Institute's performance ‘Border’ with prestigious award at Edinburgh Festival

The Jerzy Grotowski Institute - a city cultural institution with a prestigious award and recognition abroad. On Friday ( August 9 th), the Institute's performance Boundary, staged at the Edinburgh Festival, received The Scotsman newspaper's Fringe First Award 2024.

Border is a performance/installation that was originally intended to exist as a documentary about Antonina Romanova - Ukrainian director, actress, performer, non-binary person, soldier who fights to defend her country against Russian aggression. Antonina is now in Ukraine and her voice and story resonate on stage, giving expression to her irresistible need to create and express, to express and search for herself, regardless of the set framework, the prejudices imposed with gender, origin or language.

The performance was created with the participation of Monika Wachowicz, a performer who, together with Jarosław Fret, forms the Wachowicz/Fret Studio. On the basis of Romanova's story and the videos prepared by Antonina, they set to work to give the project its present shape. Border touches on the themes of identity and power, which are, supposedly, the strongest aphrodisiac. The performance is a process of exploration and an attempt to understand the causes of intolerance towards other people's identities.

- The context of the war and the circumstances in which Border was created had a huge impact on the process of its preparation and its final form, presented to audiences in Edinburgh. Being awarded The Scotsman's Fringe First Award 2024 is a huge honour for us. We are delighted that it has been recognised by audiences and critics at The Scotsman,’ emphasise Grotowski Institute representatives.

The Fringe First Award has been awarded for half a century

The Fringe First Award is the oldest award at the Fringe, having been presented for more than half a century and has accompanied the festival since 1973. This year, Edinburgh Napier University and Queen Margaret University joined the funders. Winners are selected by a jury of critics who review the Fringe Festival for The Scotsman, chaired by chief theatre critic Joyce McMillan.

At this year's Fringe Festival, the Grotowski Institute is presenting three plays: Nikt (nie) spotyka Nikogo featuring Aleksandra Kugacz-Semerci and Mertcan Semerci, the award-winning Border, and Szeol I שאול, a performance by Studio Wachowicz/Fret. All performances and events are presented to the public on the temporary Grotowski Institute CUBE stage, built at the Pleasance EICC Theater, which hosts the Jerzy Grotowski Institute for the duration of the festival.