Barbara Thieme – General characteristics of MAGAPAR
The theatre has completely resigned from using words, and has turned to body, light and music language forms expression.
Every Magapar s play conveys certain values. It is a kind of a message encoded in the sequence of acts. The message should inspire the spectator to create his own interpretation. The theatre does no give simple answers : it odes not impose on the spectator s ready-made ideas. What it wants to achieve , is to make him aware of specific life situations, to show different attitudes and encourage him to decode “the message” himself. It is he to decide, using his imagination, sensitivity and experience, what each stage act means. What is shown on the stage in a symbolic way, concerns every human being s matters such as : the values search, study of oneself, and which is the most important, awareness of “light abundance”in us. This light can brighten up – from the inside – our “human cover” and we can turn it on to other people. This is the essence of life !
The performances by the Magapar Theater introduce the audience to the spiritual world of magical scenery. This is the world created by the movement of human body, music and light. It is magic, which takes audiences on a journey full of fantasy through the realm of joy, dreams, love and suffering.
This is the world we conceive in the heart.
“ Orpheus”
It is full of emotions, experiences, memories, the beautiful spectacle of devoted love, dreams, finding their own way and their place in life, full of joy and suffering, and above all full of hope and faith in man. Through the whole show takes beautiful music, lights and traffic spectators enter the magical world of theater Magapar.
BIOGRAPHY
Barbara Thieme
Profession – degreed polish teacher, founder and artistic director of MAGAPAR Theatre – director, scenographer,choreographer, screenplays’ author .
Education –The Catholic University of Lublin – Polish philology, Jagiellonian University – postgraduate studies of theatre and movie.
Artistic job’s proceeding – foundation MAGAPAR Theatre using body, light and music in 1983.
The amount of first nights -„Metamorphosis”, „Light”,”Human”,”Dreams”, „Jonah”,” Romanticness ”.”Places”,”Memory” and other arts.
Magapar’s taking parts in national and international theatre festivals in Swiss, France, Denmark, Great Britain, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Canada. The theatre performed also in New York International Fringe Festival, International Festival Theatre Florida/USA, showed its performance in Ukraina,
Hungary , Italy , Portugal ,Turkey , Tunisia.
Magapar Theatre was the main issue during some seminars dedicated to international, modern theatre. The classes ware hold in Oregon State University,Wesleyan University in Connecticut , New York University, Zagrzeb,Toronto Santiago and in Mexico.
Magapar Theatre has chalked up many prizes, thanksgivings , diplomas, distinctions all among The Culture and Heritage’s Minister Prize, The National Education’s Minister, Polcul Foundation, Marshal of Podkarpackie’s Prize (twice), also twice prizes in national competition: The Instructor of Year, international prizes:Outstanding Visualization, Outstanding Music and Sound, Best Youth Ensemble, Best Premiere of a Production.
Magapar possesses many press information in domestic press and abroad either: ”New York Theatre Experience”, „Herald Tribune”, “Diario de Coimbra’,”Le Choix”, “Thuner Tagblatt”, radio and TV broadcasts .
Barbara Thieme is a scholar of Institute of Culture and Science in Vienna, the articles’ author, belongs to polish branch office of ASSITEJ which has its headquarters in Warsaw. She has also written a book entitled “Magapar” and has led the international workshops.
Source of information -www.republika.pl/magapar
Wiem- science web portal.
The book: „Magapar”.
” The World Explained by Physical Vision ”
The idea of Magapar is based on physical and visual form of theatrical expression, which means no words. Words, as Barbara Thieme puts it, are superfluous ballast in the theatre. They divert the audiences’ attention from such theatrical forms as: movement, stage design, dance, body, light and darkness, music and gesture and such themes as: death, good, evil.
Light
Light is one of the elements that make up „Magapar”. It is sometimes delicate – romantic. Sometimes it introduces peril or tragedy. That is why we constantly change lighting: from darkness, semi – darkness – rapidly becoming intense to spot – beamed details of the stage design, or figures lying motionlessly on the stage. A peculiar climate of the performances is created by lighting waxed and waned, using different filters, play of colours and shadows.Light is, in fact, a living being in the theatre. It can, as people often do, hesitate, cry or shout, stay silent or mourn. You can even hear it when it stays still for a short while but it never dies away. Every single flicker is a form of expression: request, protest, delight. The performers mus not only see it and understand it, but should hear it, feel it, trust it as well.
Darkness
Darkness is a state of awaiting, a messenger of the inevitable. You can feel it. It is almost palpable. It feels thick as if darkness were filled with darkness. It is shapeless, bodiless, and full of mystery. In it – everything is born, in – thoughts, actions and emotions are hidden. The more it is imbued or dense, the louder it seems to appeal. It cries with its motionlessness; a kind of inertness, inevitability, thus transforming into the subject of art. In its calmness – deadness it tends to be alarming , questioning – guess – work. You can experience its burden; you can even hold it in your hand. On the one hand it is safe; you can take shelte r there, on the other hand it is treacherous; you can find someone or something there. This is Darkness!
Death
Death is inevitable. It appears in Magapar’s performances, although it takes on a form of sleep from which we will liberate ourselves one day. This death can put the performers to sleep on the stage, the light wanes a bit, the music dies away and the stage design stops changing. The whole stage „freezes”. Death is mighty regardless of an individual or all generations: it is mighty because taking possession of our bodies it leaves our souls. In Death something ends ; at the same time something new is born. It brings hope to new life. The hero of „The Prince” by Saint – Exupery leaves his cloak on the stage : death has come and the body would prevent him from coming back to the planet. The body is also too heavy for the soul to be lifted. It must be shed ; you are coming back to Rose.
Good and Evil
Good and evil are one of the main themes present in Magapar’s plays. Despite the , so called, Universal Good and Evil there is something in – between: different forms , or shades of good or evil , sometimes marked so subtly that they are almost invisible or unreal. In life people are „haunted” by the following questions: „Are we strong enough to fight the evil?”, ” Do we want to fight it ?”, „What is good ? „, „What is evil ?”, „Do they permeate or shape each other?” , „What relationships are there between good and the individual and other humans?” „Are decisions beneficial to me are harmful to others.” If so , are we willing to give up our aspirations for someone else’s sake?
Music
Music plays an important role in Magapar’s performances. It seems to be a conductor who guides the whole stage action. Each music phrase prompts ultimate reaction of the performers, lighting , and stage design. The theatre uses different kinds of music composed by: N. Paganini, T. Baird, E. Morricone, Kitaro, J. M. Jarre , M. Bilinski , Vangelis and Cz. Niemen.Melodrama and great visuality of their music becomes an ideal artistic material for Magapar. Analogically, if you can hear light, you can see music as well. This is not the question of visuality contained in musical compositions but the problem of plastic creativity of every single sound which can develop itself in the viewer’s imagination.