The Voice: An Axis of Presence

The work will oscillate between two opposing ideas: the Metre of a text and the Bios of the text. The point of departure for the session will be the premise that every text (as a structure) is ‘an Alien present in us’ and we need to allow it to get rooted in our body as if it was an entity with its autonomous motivations and desires.

The work will focus on:

voice as a foundation of human presence and the way towards a self-defining identity
practicing voice as a column of breath, an axis of presence
voice as a substance versus voice as an essence
voice as an oikos: a place where we live

Jarosław Fret

is a founder and leader of Teatr ZAR, theatre director and actor. He is Director of the Grotowski Institute. He was a lecturer at the PWST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków (Branch in Wrocław) and President of the Board of Curators of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016 and Curator of its Theatre Programme. In 1999–2002, he organised a series of expeditions to Georgia, Armenia and Iran, conducting research into the oldest forms of religious music of Eastern Christianity.

Simona Sala

is an actress and performer. She developed as an actress working with artists such as Nhandan Chirco (Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards), Giles Smith (Royal National Theatre, London), Iñaki Azpillaga (Spain), Carlos Alsina (Argentina), Norberto Presta and Sabine Uitz (Centro Produzione Teatrale Via Rosse) and Tanya Khabarowa (Derevo). In 2004, she completed a two-year professional course at the Piccolo Teatro of Pontedera, led by Luisa Pasello, Silvia Pasello, Silvia Rubes, Roberto Bacci and Francesca della Monica.