On April 22, 2017 the Opera Hall of the Centre for the Meeting of Cultures in Lublin held the awards ceremony of the 1st Stage Design and Costume Festival "Stage Under Construction." The gala was hosted by Tomasz Raczek, and the evening was crowned with a live show by the Ukrainian artist Onuki.
The jury consisting of Paweł Dobrzycki, Anna Królica, Ewa Kuryluk, Dorota Roqueplo, unanimously awarded the Grand Prix Award to Katarzyna Borkowska for the stage design and costumes for "The Books of Jacob," directed by Ewelina Marciniak and based on an Olga Tokarczuk novel. According to the Jury, this intriguing spectacle creates a coherent artistic vision with a distinctive precision of detail.
The Jury awarded the Golden Pocket Award for Best Stage Design to Jerzy Rudzki for the stage design for "Zero Point. The Kindly Ones" directed by Janusz Opryński, considering it an insightful depiction of the idea of a spectacle emphasizing its severity and the message.
The Golden Pocket Award for Best Costumes was given to the Mixer group consisting of Monika Ulańska, Dorota Gaj-Woźniak and Robert Woźniak for "Fahrenheit 451" directed by Marcin Liber.
70 shows from all over the country were entered for the Festival. The Festival Committee chose six finalists. Following a long debate the jury, composed of representatives of various disciplines related to visual arts, awarded "Golden Pocket" awards. The Grand Prix of the Festival is a prize of 10,000 zloty for best festival presentation. The Best Stage Design Award and the Best Costume Award are 7,500 zloty each. The jury could decide not to award prizes or distinctions in particular categories.
The today’s programme of the Scenography and Costume Festival includes two productions: "A Lament. Tadeusz Różewicz In Memoriam" by the Polish Dance Theatre - Poznań Ballet. The spectacle will be held at 6 pm at the Music Theatre. The creators use the Tadeusz Różewicz poems; the spectacle is the last production of choreographer Ewa Wycichowska, who was director of the Poznań Ballet for 27 years.
"Kumernis or the Saint Who Grew a Beard," a production by the Music Theatre in Gdynia, will be performed at 8 pm in the opera hall of the Centre for the Meeting of Cultures. The stage designer for the production is Agata Duda-Gracz, and in the title role is played by Magdalena Kumorek.
The festival also includes accompanying events, including exhibitions that will also be open to visitors. A retrospective exhibition of the works by Andrzej Kreütz-Majewski, the chief stage designer of Warsaw’s Grand Theatre, the author of scenery and costumes for innumerable opera production as well as a renowned painter. Prepared in collaboration with the Grand Theatre - National Opera, the exhibition presents the accomplishments of the artist who has collaborated with the biggest theatrical stages in the world, including the Covent Garden in London, the Staatsoper in Vienna and the Paris Opera. One of his students is the outstanding stage designer Boris Kudliček.
Moreover, the Centre for the Meeting of Cultures holds an exhibition of costume installations from the collections of the Grand Theatre - National Opera, Andersen Theatre in Lublin and Osterwa Theatre in Lublin. The exhibitions are displayed on all floors of the building.
The Festival was held under the patronage of Budimex S.A., ZL Nałęczów Zdrój. BMW Poland was a logistic partner of the event.
