BALLADINA
“Passing Stranger Theatre Company gave me the immense pleasure and privilege of seeing my rendering of Balladina brought to such wonderful life.”
THE STORY
It started 2018 when Anna Krauze and Emma Blacklay-Piech formed a team with plans to stage an English translation of a Polish play, Balladina, and show it to the UK audiences for the first time. We got in touch with Professor Bill Johnston of Indiana University, a Polish language literary translator, who kindly allowed us to use his award-winning translation of this surreal play.
After months of research, crowdfunding, casting and producing, we’ve been joined by a group of talented actors: Emmy Happisburgh, Greta Čepaitė, George Hoey, Linus Karp, Pete Martin, Daniel McCaully, Joseph Prestwich, Amelie Rose and Sarah Spratley.
We performed ‘Balladina’ at the Drayton Arms Theatre in Kensington, London, in November 2018 with a successful sold out run supported by the Polish Cultural Institute and the Polish Radio.
“Beautifully done [show], very moving with a good amount of comedy thrown in, (...) a hilarious juxtaposition between humour and darkness. An important and emotional project, the culmination of a lot of effort and passion.”
“Phenomenal! Beautiful and emotional piece of theatre. Just gathering my thoughts on it now, there are so many!”
OFFICIAL TRAILER
WHY BALLADINA?
I’m Anna Krauze, a Polish-born actress trained in Britain, a founder of Passing Stranger Theatre Company. The idea of staging a native play in English and showcasing it to new audiences has been at the back of my head for a while. In 2018 Poland reached 100 years of independence. Many cultural events were held around the globe joining the celebrations in order to promote our country, its history and cultural legacy. I thought it would be a perfect time to join them by producing my show - bringing to London a Polish classic in times of Brexit and a general anty-immigration mood. The play I have chosen, titled Balladina, written in 1834 by Juliusz Słowacki, seemed like a perfect choice with it’s themes of crime, politics, dark side of ambition that can easily be interpreted as a reflection of our modern world.
Then there’s my personal reason. I come from the family of Polish actors, both my mother and father performed in Balladina when I was a little girl (playing the title character and count Kirkor respectively). The images from their shows, gliding between fantasy and reality, stuck in my memory, while their off-stage stories of theatre making inspired me to eventually follow their career footsteps. Producing Balladina felt like paying a homage to the theatre and people I grew up surrounded and inspired by. It also meant a lot to me to bring a classical Polish play and show it in an English translation to the members of Polish community in London - especially those who do not speak their parents’ language - and allow them to see a performance they would not otherwise understand. If I have helped anyone to find a small connection to their culture and background, then one of my project goals is achieved.
And last but most certainly not least: Balladina is very Shakespearean in themes, and based on the continual popularity of the bard, I thought my play would feel right at home in the UK. I like to say it’s like Macbeth and Midsummer Night’s Dream combined, taking the audience on a rollercoaster ride through emotions. Scenes of comedy intertwine moments of stillness and bare emotion, while details of our characters’ stories expose truths about human nature and the power of choices we make.
“It is a notable work of Polish romanticism, focusing on the issues such as thirst for power and evolution of the criminal mind. The story revolves around the rise and fall of Balladina, a fictional Slavic queen.”
BALLADINA ALUMNI
MEDIA & PRESS
GALLERY
