Theater of Aleksander Fredro in Gniezno staged a brave performance in the KONTRAPUNKT competition - A PERFORMANCE FOR ADULTS:
"Nobody will believe me anyway"
“This performance is inspired by the fate of Barbara Zdunk - the last woman burned at the stake in Europe. Her story shows how the credibility of women is being undermined, both in witchcraft trials and today, in cases involving rape and other sexual abuse.
As a consequence, the woman ceases to believe in her story. Scraps of information about Barbara Zdunk make up a cruel image of her short life as a series of abuses and rapes for which the punishment was not imposed on the perpetrators, but their victims. For four years before the execution, the guards had pitted Barbara to all willing citizens of the city. In prison, a woman gave birth to two children, one of whom died, it is not known whether for natural reasons or at the hands of a powerless accused. The more harm she suffered, the more the protagonist adapted to the expected image of a witch, a woman - arsonist, seducing other husbands, and finally a child-killer who should be spectacularly disposed of.
The real reason behind Barbara's execution is her gaze, which, like Medusa's, is terrifying. It causes remorse or other uncontrollable reflexes. Since the beginning of history, people have created monsters, dragons and witches for themselves to be murdered in the name of the rule of law and justice. Thanks to such mechanisms, justice always belongs to the stronger, who decide what images to sell to society, especially in situations of permanent threats and crises."
The presented moral problem and the assessment of the social role of women in the patriarchal world have remained unchanged for centuries. Contemporary authorities and patriarchal circles feel provoked to moral counter-revolution and attempts to supervise the behaviour of women in the most personal matters.
The theatre from Gniezno with a strong artistic expression contributes to the intensification of the discussion on the fate of women in the contemporary world!
A very young actress (Karolina Staniec) in the lead role played this tragic character sensationally, and the team created a harmonious background for this creation.
