Transitions Central Europe: Ivona, Princess of Burgundia

POLAND

A distinguished artist and a student of the great master of the Polish and European theatre, Krystian Lupa, Krzysztof Garbaczewski tackles a key work of modern Polish theatre, "Yvonne, Princess of Burgundy" (1938) by Witold Gombrowicz.

Philip, a young and unconventional prince, decides on a whim to defy expectations and marry Yvonne, a silent, unlovable girl. The marriage will give rise to all manner of bizarre complications in the palace as Yvonne’s silence, coupled with her ugliness, provokes a series of perfectly absurd reactions.

The inadequacies, fears and brutality of an entire society are magnified and reflected in this one, magnificently silent figure. There’s just one way to bring tranquility back to the kingdom: she must die!

A psychological thriller which wears its Hitchcockian influences on its sleeve, Garbaczewski’s "Yvonne" occupies the grey zone between theatre and cinema. Even the scenery bows to the conventions of a film set; in fact, "Yvonne" is a film which is being shot and edited before our eyes. “The camera allows us to get closer to Yvonne’s world, to her world of silence, but also to the other protagonists”, the director says. The production immerses itself in its heroine’s silence only to re-emerge as an absurd, perfectly executed joke: disturbing, surprising and heretical.

This award-winning production from Garbaczewski, one of a new generation of Polish directors, takes a classic modernist text as its starting point, tackles social traumas no one talks about, and poses pressing questions about the present, memory, identity and History.