The Search for 'Authenticity' in a World of Information

Poland's JK Opole Theater is debuting in Shanghai this week with its play, "Authentic."

Directed by the theater's artistic director Norbert Rakowski, "Authentic" explores identity, self-perception, and reality through authenticity.

"We focus on topics that resonate with audiences rather than creating something based on some text. Authenticity is one of those key topics," Rakowski said, who serves as the vice president of the European Theater Convention and has worked as an assistant director under the renowned Polish theater director Krystian Lupa.

"Could we still survive as authentic people when living in an era overloaded with all kinds of information? Are we still able to tell what is true and what is fake and answer the question of who we are?" he asked, describing the motivation behind the work.

Poland has a long, rich theatrical tradition, from the national drama of the Romantic period to the avant – garde practices of 20th-century theater artists such as Jerzy Grotowski.

Under Rakowski's leadership, the JK Opole Theater has experimented with interdisciplinary collaboration and encouraged artists to respond to contemporary social reality.

The play invited two performers from the Wroclaw Pantomime Theater, who wear costumes and play two primates. Other characters include a professor, a student, and a robot dog.

"We very much want to know how Shanghai audiences will respond to this work," Rakowski said.

"Some people believe that theater has the power to change the world, but in fact we do not expect that.

"We merely raise questions, offer our own answers on stage in some way, and plant the questions in the audience's minds as well," he added.

If you go

Date: November 5-6, 7:30pm, November 7, 2pm

Ticket: 180-580 yuan

Venue: Theater YOUNG

Address: 1155 Kongjiang Rd 控江路1155号