Retroperspektywy 2025

 

14th International Theatre Festiwal Retroperspektywy

IN FORM

Au­gust 21 - 31, 2025

CHOREA Theatre / Lodz / Poland

 

 

IDEA

 

The In­ter­na­tio­nal The­atre Fe­sti­val Re­tro­per­spek­ty­wy is a uni­que ce­le­bra­tion of the per­for­ming arts, com­bi­ning the­atre, dan­ce, mu­sic, in­ter­di­sci­pli­na­ry ac­ti­vi­ties and so­cial re­flec­tion, or­ga­ni­sed by CHO­REA The­atre in Łódź. Re­tro­per­spek­ty­wy for years has bro­ught to­ge­ther ar­ti­sts from all over the world, fo­cu­sing on a ge­nu­ine dia­lo­gue be­twe­en cul­tu­res, ge­ne­ra­tions and art di­sci­pli­nes.

 

The mot­to for this year's edi­tion - “IN FORM” - is a se­emin­gly sim­ple phra­se, which in the con­text of our fe­sti­val ta­kes on a mul­ti-lay­ered me­aning. It is a qu­estion abo­ut the con­di­tion of ar­ti­sts, art and so­cie­ty. It is a clo­ser look at the body and spi­rit in ac­tion - both on and off sta­ge. It is also a re­flec­tion on form as a car­rier of con­tent - how struc­tu­re af­fects the mes­sa­ge, how the bo­un­da­ries of the me­dium are expe­ri­men­ted with.

 

“IN FORM” is not just a the­me - it is a chal­len­ge to cre­ators and au­dien­ces: are we still in sha­pe? What does it mean to be in sha­pe, in form to­day - in a world of over-sti­mu­la­tion, ten­sion and trans­for­ma­tion?

 

 

THE­ATRE

 

This year's fe­sti­val the­atre per­for­man­ces explo­re form as a tool of expres­sion and de­con­struc­tion. We will see both clas­si­cal struc­tu­res fil­te­red thro­ugh con­tem­po­ra­ry sen­si­bi­li­ties and expe­ri­men­tal nar­ra­ti­ve forms which are bre­aking sta­ge co­nven­tions. Ar­ti­sts from dif­fe­rent co­un­tries an­swer the qu­estion: what form does the­atre take to­day, in the face of cri­sis, so­cial chan­ges and tech­no­lo­gi­cal re­vo­lu­tion?

 

DAN­CE

 

Dan­ce at this year's Re­tro­per­spek­ty­wy be­co­mes the lan­gu­age of the body in its full con­di­tion - phy­si­cal and emo­tio­nal. “IN FORM” is a sto­ry abo­ut pu­shing the li­mits of en­du­ran­ce, abo­ut the cho­re­ogra­phy of eve­ry­day life, abo­ut the re­la­tion­ship be­twe­en the form of the body and the con­tent it car­ries. The dan­cers explo­re the the­me of cor­po­re­ali­ty as a spa­ce for re­cor­ding the expe­rien­ces and trau­ma, but also joy, rhy­thm and com­mu­ni­ty.

 

MU­SIC

 

Mu­sic is the li­ving or­ga­nism of Re­tro­per­spek­ty­wy - pul­sa­ting with the rhy­thm of form and con­tent. This year we will hear pro­jects which com­bi­ne mu­sic with mo­ve­ment, words and spa­ce - from in­stru­men­tal con­certs to per­for­ma­ti­ve so­und sets. Com­po­sers, in­stru­men­ta­li­sts, sin­gers and vo­ca­li­sts explo­re form as a field of expe­ri­men­ta­tion. “IN FORM” is also a qu­estion abo­ut the struc­tu­re of com­po­si­tion, the li­mits of gen­re and so­und that spe­aks in new ways.

 

 

KIDS & YOUTH

 

A pro­gram­me for youn­ger vie­wers and be­gin­ner ar­ti­sts - it is a spa­ce for explo­ring form as a tool for self-expres­sion. Thro­ugh work­shops, per­for­man­ces and ar­ti­stic ac­ti­vi­ties, chil­dren and young pe­ople le­arn to un­der­stand and cre­ate the world thro­ugh art. “IN FORM” is not only a game with form for them, but also the first en­co­un­ter with the qu­estion: what form does my vo­ice and my body have, and how and whe­re can I use them?

 

 

WORK­SHOPS & RE­SI­DEN­CY

 

This is the he­art of Re­tro­per­spek­ty­wy - a pla­ce of cre­ati­ve fer­men­ta­tion, pro­ces­ses, me­etings and re­he­ar­sals. This year, the work­shop for­mu­la em­pha­si­ses the the­me “IN FORM” even more stron­gly - the work­shops and re­si­den­cy le­aders are in­vi­ted to se­arch for a com­mon un­der­stan­ding of form and ac­tion, a form of expres­sion, a form of be­ing to­ge­ther. Re­si­dents and par­ti­ci­pants can de­ve­lop new pro­jects and test forms that are just be­ing born - bol­dly, expe­ri­men­tal­ly, and cre­ati­ve­ly.

 

 

EXHI­BI­TION & IN­STAL­LA­TION

 

Vi­su­al forms com­ple­te the fe­sti­val pro­gram­me, po­sing qu­estions abo­ut the li­mits of per­cep­tion and in­te­rac­tion with works of art. “IN FORM” is also a re­flec­tion on the form of pre­sen­ta­tion - how do we re­la­te and tell sto­ries abo­ut the world to­day thro­ugh ima­ge, spa­ce, and ob­jects? We in­vi­te you to expe­rien­ce in­stal­la­tions that spe­ak the lan­gu­age of spa­ce and mat­ter, pro­vo­king you to im­mer­se your­self in form - li­te­ral­ly.

 

 

ME­ETINGS & DI­SCUS­SIONS

 

With de­ba­tes and di­scus­sions with the ar­ti­sts, and re­flec­ti­ve pa­nel me­etings, Re­tro­per­spek­ty­wy is ope­ning up a spa­ce for in-depth co­nver­sa­tions abo­ut form as a tool but also as a trap. “IN FORM” is also a qu­estion abo­ut the form of dia­lo­gue - how do we talk abo­ut art to­day? Par­ti­ci­pants of the me­etings have the chan­ce to exchan­ge expe­rien­ces, views and re­flec­tions - di­rec­tly, ho­ne­stly, and wi­tho­ut pre­ten­ce.

 

 

SUM­MER VIBE

 

Re­tro­per­spek­ty­wy is not just the­atre - it's also an at­mo­sphe­re. Sum­mer at CHO­REA The­atre, in the Art Fac­to­ry in Łodź and in Fu­zja - Łódź - is abo­ut open-air con­certs, a re­la­xa­tion zone, sha­red me­als and eve­ning par­ties. Here, the mot­to “IN FORM” com­mu­ni­ca­tes a form of be­ing to­ge­ther, a form of re­la­xa­tion, a form of at­ten­ti­ve­ness. For the par­ti­ci­pants, it is a spa­ce to catch the­ir bre­aths - and get in to­uch with them­se­lves and others, in the rhy­thm of the sum­mer.

 

 

MORE INFO / PROGRAMME / TICKETS

 

https://www.retroperspektywy.com

 

https://www.facebook.com/retroperspektywy

 

 

 

Za­da­nie "Mię­dzy­na­ro­do­wy Fe­sti­wal Te­atral­ny Re­tro­per­spek­ty­wy" jest re­ali­zo­wa­ne dzię­ki do­fi­nan­so­wa­niu z bu­dże­tu Mia­sta Ło­dzi.

 

 

Do­fi­nan­so­wa­no ze środ­ków Mi­ni­stra Kul­tu­ry i Dzie­dzic­twa Na­ro­do­we­go po­cho­dzą­cych z Fun­du­szu Pro­mo­cji Kul­tu­ry – pań­stwo­we­go fun­du­szu ce­lo­we­go.

 

 

Do­fi­nan­so­wa­no ze środ­ków Mi­ni­ster­stwa Kul­tu­ry i Dzie­dzic­twa Na­ro­do­we­go, z pro­gra­mu „Ta­niec” re­ali­zo­wa­ne­go przez Na­ro­do­wy In­sty­tut Mu­zy­ki i Tań­ca.

 

 

Zre­ali­zo­wa­no dzię­ki do­fi­nan­so­wa­niu ze środ­ków Fun­da­cji Współ­pra­cy Pol­sko-Nie­miec­kiej.