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Luk Perceval, the director of “3STRS” and “Once Upon a Long Day”, returns to the Stary Theatre in Kraków with his adaptation of “Les Rougon‑Macquart”, a monumental cycle of novels by Émile Zola, one of the best-known French writers. Over the course of 20 novels, the author described the fates of the fictional Rougon‑Macquart family, whose members include businessmen, saleswomen, revolutionaries, sex workers, miners and doctors. Each member of the family faces the legacies passed down by previous generations: poverty, alcoholism, madness, ambition, artistic talent. Yet at the same time, they are also influenced by the reality in which they find themselves. Zola’s novels depict profound social and economic transformations of the 19th century, offering touching stories of greed, desire, the pursuit of happiness and a better life. In his production based on Zola’s famous saga, Luk Perceval revisits the questions asked by the writer: what drives human development? Where do we come from? How did we become the people we are today? Can humanity become ‘better’?

Małgorzata Zawadzka’s wild scream and Anna Dymna’s whisper, the unleashed energy of Aleksandra Nowosadko, the passionate Ewa Kaim and the ethereal Magda Grąziowska, Krzysztof Zawadzki commands the stage while the retiring Roman Gancarczyk sits off on the sidelines. The actors also complement one another, taking on various roles, they are one character, then another, once a woman, then a man. And the collective song of “Formidable” has power much greater than the pieces sung solo (some of which could easily compete with the originals).

Anna Piątkowska, Dziennik Polski

A sweeping and visceral performance in which Luk Perceval paints a vivid picture of destiny and heredity.

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Director, Script: Luk Perceval

Stage designer: Annette Kurz

Costumes: Annelies Vanlaere

Lighting design: Mark Van Denesse

Music and live music performance: Justyna Skoczek

Translation: Sława Lisiecka

Director's assistant, dramaturgy, translation: Maja Wisła-Szopińska

Scenography Assistant: Renée Feveere

Costume, Light and Set Designer's Assistant: Julia Ulman

Director's Assistant: Magdalena Litwa

Stage manager: Katarzyna Gaweł

Cast: Anna Dymna, Roman Gancarczyk, Magda Grąziowska, Ewa Kaim, Aleksandra Nowosadko, Małgorzata Zawadzka, Krzysztof Zawadzki

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Performance in Polish, with Romanian and English translation