The premiere of “The Miser,” performed by students of the Janusz Korczak II General Secondary School in Bolesławiec, took place on April 4 at the Old Theatre. The venue was packed. Anyone who, for whatever reason, could not attend the premiere of one of the most famous comedies of all time has something to regret. Against an excellent set (the furniture was borrowed from Piwnica Paryska), the theatre club from II LO presented a superb adaptation of Molière’s timeless work. For over an hour, the students transported the audience to 17th-century Paris.
This excellent performance could be seen twice more on the stage of the Old Theatre. “After that final performance, everyone congratulated me,” said Mirosław Sakowski, head of the “two.” And he addressed the club members: “You are getting better and better at what you do. I would like you to continue this work. This is a showcase of our school.”
The fact that the adaptation of “The Miser” was so warmly received by the audience is largely thanks to Izabelli Daniel, the theatre club’s supervisor, French teacher and director of the performance. “We have been working together for the second year now. First came ‘A Christmas Carol’ and a fragment of ‘Ferdydurke,’ performed in the school assembly hall. The school audience’s reaction was very positive and encouraged us to continue working. I very much wanted the parents of our students, retired teachers and school employees to join the audience. Hence the idea that the next performance should take place in a theatre. It is wonderful that we managed to make this idea a reality. The young actors had the opportunity to experience the magic of performing on a real stage. I think it is a beautiful reward for their hard work,” says Izabella Daniel.
She adds: “For me, this is a new dimension of pedagogical work. I feel very connected to the entire group. We all realise how much depends on good cooperation; after all, this is teamwork, and every episode, however small, is important. It is admirable that young people can put aside their own activities and devote time to work that is not limited to developing their own interests or abilities, but is also directed towards another person. ‘The Miser’ in our performance was received very warmly. I am glad that we managed to bring joy to the audience. I would like to extend special thanks to my form class (II b), which supported us greatly from the very beginning and helped us carry out our projects.
During the performances, it was Harpagon who attracted the most attention (the role was brilliantly played by Piotr Rola), but in reality many acting talents shone on stage. “I felt like a villain and became very attached to the character,” laughs the stage Harpagon. He admits that he is considering an acting career. However, he is aware that it is not an easy profession.
The same applies to Roksany Salwerowicz (who played Strzałka) and Roksany Piskorowskiej (Jakub). “I love it. But I do not see a professional future in acting,” says the latter. Anna Szweda (Frozyna) has a different view, having only begun to think more seriously about acting after gaining her first stage experience. “I fell in love with it—the stress and the work as part of a group,” she admits.
Asked whether the performances had given them anything, the young actors from II LO said that they had—that they had overcome their fears and conquered their stage fright. “During the third performance, I was hardly stressed at all,” admits Piotr Rola. “I remember how difficult it was for us at first to get into our roles. And towards the end, we had essentially become those characters,” says Aneta Szczudlik.
“When we signed up for the club, none of us approached it professionally. It was about having fun. The fact that people liked our performance so much was a very pleasant surprise for us,” says Michalina Kuduk (Eliza). “I got goosebumps when I saw 250 people applauding us while standing,” adds Piotr Kopeć, who played Valery.
Headmaster Mirosław Sakowski announced that, as a reward, he would fund a mountain trip for the young actors. What is more, it is already known that the theatre club’s performance will enhance the celebrations of II LO’s 50th anniversary.
Izabella Daniel thanks Mr Bogdanowi Nowakowi. The cast of “The Miser” included:
Piotr Rola – Harpagon
Miłosz Kuduk – Cléante
Michalina Kuduk – Élise
Martyna Stasiak – Marianne
Piotr Kopeć – Valère
Anna Szweda – Frosine
Magdalena Herbut – Simona
Roksana Piskorowska – Jakub
Roksana Salwerowicz – Strzałka
Justyna Szewczyk – Madame Claude
Monika Mićić – La Merluche
Natalia Niczyporuk – Brindavoine
Wojtek Piela – Commissioner
Aneta Szczudlik – Madame Jourdain.
(information: ii)