Jurek, Paweł

In a series of symbolic scenes the author presents a world deprived of human values, full of mechanical activities like copulation, selling, buying and killing. A sexual pervert wandering across a park after sunset, finding no other release but to bite the soil like an angry animal; he interferes with mindless girls, fans of supermarkets bargains taking a dummy for a real person, decent citizens whose moral codes appear to be equal with those of criminals. We see a gay couple buying a porcelain doll in a children’s store; we see a lover who chopped off her lover’s son’s head. Everything seems to be rather the result of recreating scenes watched by the characters in some TV program than the matter of conscious choice. The author shows the era of perfect madness and leaves us with unanswered question about contemporary reality of liberal values. Have we really gone that far already?

A three-act drama

Paweł Jurek’s play breaks the silence around racism and the social division between the poor and the rich that has been increasingly evident in Poland recently. Comprehensive and straightforward, this text offers a thorough look into the problem.

Soon after Christmas the Priest is visited by a post-communist politician, Olaf. Before, on Christmas Eve, Olaf happens to come across a 19-year-old homeless Mulatto and offers him shelter; however, this noble gesture results from his sexual desire. The Boy steals some valuables from the house and runs away. As this is not the first case in Olaf’s “homosexual career”, he keeps silent until the message from the parish comes. The Priest is in possession of some golden jewellery and wants to give it to the charity. The Boy couldn’t stay his misconduct. Although his family is in a miserable condition and this loot might secure his brother’s needs, he decides to give it back but to the Priest. During the conversation with the Priest Olaf tries to hide both his political background and his sexual preferences. But it is all in vain. The Priest knows that the golden jewellery is not Olaf's inheritance. It is taken away from the families of political prisoners during the communist regime.

A psychological drama

In his dynamic presentation Jurek uses short scenes and great pace. The whole performance is modelled upon documentaries. The title itself is a quotation from Piotr’s statement. The character is unable to admit to human feelings of love, compassion, or attachment. The story is a drama about a victim of rape (Joanna), who decides to give a birth to her child and then to give the baby to a childless policewoman (Marta). The possible father (Piotr) rejects Joanna. The girl cannot count on her boyfriend (Jan). Although he would like to make a proper marital relation, he simply can’t afford to have a family. At least this is what he thinks. The girl is left all alone.

A three-act comedy

This witty and twisted comedy explores the genre of a soap opera, mixes various kinds of “Dynasty”-like plots, and quotes TV series. It gives us insight into the lives of film producers. 

The Jury of nine has chosen the best screenwriting of the year. The prize goes to the Always Rewarded, an individual deprived of any talents whatsoever. Only if we destroy him, the director believes, he can be remembered forever by the grateful audience. The idea is warmly applauded by the jury and the audience. Then there is a symbolical function of eating and money receiving. The brave director takes the greatest part of cash. Afterwards, we witness the process of filmmaking. It’s an episode nr 261 of “The Loving Family” popular series. Nevertheless, the Always Awarded Laureate is still alive. He flies over the stage, trying to get his share of money from the cash container. The filmmakers shout “Go Away!”, but it is all in vain. Eventually, he manages to steal the money away and vanishes in the haze.

The action of this contemporary drama touches the problem of jealousy and possible infidelity. There is a club of three ladies that suspect their partners of sleeping around. Thus, they make up a sort of theatre: they decide to stir up their partners’ jealousy by talking about their own love affairs. The wives leave all household chores on their husbands’ shoulders. Painfully hurt by the lack of clean shirts, the gentlemen try to get back their ladies’ hearts. They are convinced that the wives transferred their affections onto someone else.

Every intrigue can break down, though. In order to restore the peace, the men create their own plot which makes their wives anxious. “This is just a play” they think, “but our boys can easily go too far.” Thus, everything ends happily with the gentlemen being reformed. From now on they are going to take better care of their ladies and help them at home. Would they be able to do this if they knew their wives’ love affairs were only cock and bull stories?

An extremely brave tragic comedy about losing moral standards and values. Highly praised at the Polish Competition of Comedies in Tarnów - TALIA 2001. The play is a kind of mockery on the world of TV commercials, soap operas and empty slogans of total freedom behind which another product is advertised. This is the world of consumerism, free in a sense that it is deprived of any standards of behaviour. Agnes is a commercial journalist, very successive in the world of the media; she is also well known as the organizer of porn parties. She lives in a luxurious apartment with Johnny, also a media star. Having earned good money, Johnny is bored stiff. He wants to do something serious - to become a playwright. They make friends with Kaśka and Bartek. Kaśka is in love mostly with herself. She also loves sex in any possible form. She has a habit of getting pregnant (“I feel more pretty then!”) followed by abortions. Lee (a saleswoman), the least polluted person in Kaśka’s circle is her friend and lover. Bartek (Johnny’s friend and lover) is a theatre director; he is going to commercialise theatre business, to make it TV like with all varieties of reality shows and TV novels. Johnny believes Bartek might be helpful in presenting Johnny’s play in his theatre. Both couples confront an important question: to be or to have. Finally it occurs to them that both expressions have the same connotation. “To be” for most of them means to be in the media, to be visible, to be successful. Otherwise, they don’t exist. 

Johnny discovers that one thing is impossible for him: beginning his existence as a true artist. Thus, he decides to move away from the society. His first step to get back to real life is killing Bartek and Kaśka. He does it dressed up as Lee. Then finally he can throw the mask away.