About the Performance
LA-MA is a moving journey into the depths of the human psyche, exploring complex interpersonal relationships through the lens of care—a concept that can take many forms, sometimes nurturing, sometimes oppressive.
The performance reflects on maternal love that can become overwhelming and limiting. It also examines the impersonal nature of institutional care systems—such as hospitals and nursing homes—where empathy and individual attention can disappear behind procedures and structures.
Within these experiences emerge powerful emotional states: a lack of security, the longing for independence, and the desire for freedom.
These stories unfold through a series of songs that form the core of the performance. Written by the performers themselves, these protest songs give voice to personal reflections and collective emotions.
Artistic Language
The seemingly light form of songs becomes a powerful theatrical device.
The performers’ voices build tension and atmosphere, shifting between dreamlike moments and unsettling emotional landscapes. The music, composed by Sambor Dudziński—composer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and actor—creates a rich sonic world that carries the narrative of the performance.
A chorus, present throughout many scenes, acts as a collective voice commenting on the unfolding events. It represents a community searching for belonging, safety, and mutual understanding.
Together, music, voice, and ensemble presence create a poetic stage language that moves between intimacy and collective expression.
Accessibility
Accessibility is an integral element of the production.
The performance is presented with audio description and its content is translated into Polish Sign Language, allowing broader access for audiences with different sensory needs.
Some information:
- A performance combining text, music, songs and movement
- Content translated live into Polish sign language
- Polish audio description available
- Suggested age: 15+
- Louder music in some scenes of the performance
- In some scenes, the auditorium lighting is dimmed
- Variable lighting appears in some scenes of the performance
The Company
Teatr pod Fountainną is an informal theatre group founded in 2016 at the ZAMEK Culture Centre in Poznań, Poland.
The ensemble is composed of members of theatre studios operating within “Domy pod Fountainną” (Houses under the Fountain)—two centers run by the Association of Persons and Families for Mental Health “Zrozumieć i Pomóc” (Understand and Help). These centers provide social and vocational rehabilitation for people who have experienced mental health crises.
Since its creation, the group has developed six performances, many of which have been warmly received by critics and audiences.
One of their productions, Grimm, received second prize in the third edition of the national independent theatre competition “The Best Off.”
Through collective creation and artistic collaboration, Teatr pod Fountainną develops performances that give voice to lived experiences while exploring new forms of theatrical expression.
Artistic Direction
The artistic supervisor of the group and director of all its performances is Janusz Stolarski.
Stolarski is an actor and graduate of the Ludwik Solski State Theatre School in Kraków. He is known for his independent theatre productions as well as collaborations with repertoire theatres in Poland and abroad.
An acclaimed monodrama performer, Stolarski has received numerous awards for his solo performances. For many years he has also led theatre workshops and artistic projects in Poland and internationally, including in Germany, Romania, Moldova, Spain, and France.
In his work with Teatr pod Fountainną, he creates a space for performers to transform personal experiences into powerful theatrical expression.
Credits
direction: Janusz Stolarski
script: Janusz Stolarski with actors and actresses
music: Sambor Dudziński
scenography: Tomasz Ryszczyński
video projections: Tomasz Jarosz
scenographic cooperation: Ewa Tetlak
lighting design: Arkadiusz Kuczyński
sound production: Piotr Kazimierz Wiśniewski
cast: Andrzej Nyczke, Jacek Kwiatkowski, Justyna Cofta, Jakub Hudak, Jan Janeczko, Ewa Zajkowska, Paweł Nyga, Beata Szymankowska, Justyna Romanowska, Hanna Kubaszewska, Piotr Bekasiak, Julia Sobczyńska, Halina Ertel, Magdalena Treichel, Tomasz Dzierżanowski, Agnieszka Grabia, Urszula Stachowiak
sign language interpretation: Karina Akseńczuk
audiodescription: Marcin Głowiński
produced by: ZAMEK Culture Centre, Poznań, Poland
Duration: 60′
The performance was prepared at the ZAMEK Culture Centre in Poznań in a frame of Europe Beyond Access project thanks to a grant from the Creative Europe programme.