GATHERING

Next to Expeditions, another basic form of artistic activity and theatrical practice, an autonomous phenomenon or part of Expedition, often its culmination.
A form of meeting - ceremony, which evolved while working in the rural areas of Poland.

Gethering Antoniówka 1980

A concept of Gathering originated from spontaneous meetings with people. Włodzimierz Staniewski formulates its genesis as follows: "After we finished our performance people did not feel like leaving. We watched them talking, moving, and what's most important for us, singing. Singing is the most open and direct way of communication. We observed figures of style emerging from it.
We realized that we are confronted with tradition, which had always been there and we wanted to identify our place within it. It was followed by our ambition to develop Gatherings of our own. The urge to be with people when our theatre work as such was over gave birth to Gatherings.
Originally Gathering was only a form of spending time together with our audience who came to see Evening Performance. Soon it acquired an independent form and expanded. It has its own dramaturgy and scenario; Gathering has a multi-plot structure and is a continuous course of events.

Gathering in Tokary 1980

" Gathering is a theatrical practice of a higher status in the world of contemporary theatre forms. Gathering is simply proto-theatre. Gathering is summoning a group of people into one place to reveal, "give away" the truth of the cultural and social existence of a given community. Gathering is not only a form of communication, but also 'billowing', 'elevating' cultural undercurrents of a given cultural enclave.

Gathering lies at the foundations of every cultural tradition; you come across it in every culture although forms may vary: it constitutes social relationships and evaluates all elements of culture inherent in a given community, like 'ting' from a Norman saga. Gathering was a Plexus Solaris of social culture."

In traditional Gathering taking place in a homogenous community there are maintained all fundamental elements of classical dramaturgy. However, the flesh of Gathering is a countless number of colorful incidents endowed with the highest theatrical qualities, employing all possible means of expression (…).

Tradition of Gatherings still exists in some cultures. In other cultures it is not so hard to restore it. It is this unattainable theatre (…), but what we can learn from the experience of Gathering is the best school of theatre". "I would even take a risk to claim that Gathering is a moment when theatre is born from itself (…) When you take part in Gatherings in villages you can notice that they are richer and more developed than many dramas on stage. My work is an attempt to come to terms with it."

Gethering Antoniówka 1980

Gathering is a union of the Known with the Unknown. Of the simple with the skilled. A union of the opposite entities. Old age is a refuge, so is young age. Songs are a nerve practiced by Gatherings. Songs are a source of movement, gestures, acts (facts) emerging there. They are a source of calling into being. Songs are made. Making songs is one of the sources of non-historical gestures. It is known and accessible for us. There are traditions in which a nerve of Gathering, their constituting element, are practices so exotic and incomprehensible for us, non-renderable, like rhythms-and-breaths, rhythms-and-sighs".

"The Gardzienice Book", edited and compiled by Judie Christie, Richard Gough. Published by The Centre for Performance Research, April 1989
"Konteksty", 1-4, 2001, "Mały słownik terminów Ośrodka Praktyk Teatralnych Gardzienice", edited by Piotr Machul