(costumes)
directed by Seb Majewski Jerzy Szaniawski Dramatic Theatre in Wałbrzych (2025)
Seb Majewski’s production approaches Wyspiański’s The Curse as a story about guilt, punishment, and the mechanism of the scapegoat, deeply rooted in the mentality of a rural community. The creators focus on human motivations and a local catastrophe, avoiding the scandal‑driven tone of earlier stagings. The action is relocated to the landscape of the contemporary Polish countryside, which — as the director notes — has absorbed European funds, lost its traditional functions, and now exists among symbolic decorations such as a neon I love Poland sign. The performance examines tensions between culture and nature, norms and emotions, philosophy and biology, revealing how seemingly innocent actions can, under unfavourable conditions, lead to crisis.
All costumes in the production are made of denim — a material that, for me, has become a contemporary equivalent of “folkness.” I designed them as a fashion collection built on the multidimensional use of denim: a fabric that can be both ordinary and exclusive. I balanced between utility and elegance, between low and high style.
The men’s costumes take the form of work overalls, giving the characters weight and rawness. The women’s costumes are more decorative, full of subtle references to folk ornamentation filtered through a contemporary aesthetic. The central figure is the androgynous Wilgefortis — the Chorus — dressed in a multilayered costume that is gradually removed throughout the performance, creating one of the production’s most striking images.
The costumes for The Curse received a distinction in the 11th edition of the KLASYKA ŻYWA competition.
photos: Tobiasz Papuczys
A short film about the costumes: