Grzegorz Roman is a young man who has just fulfilled his dream. He gave it shape and shared it with others. He staged his own adaptation of a play about gourmets and the pleasures of the table – “The Physiology of Taste.” He made his debut in Bolesławiec because it is his city.
He is the director of his first production. He had never had any dramatic aspirations, and his grades in Polish were average, but after reading Brillat-Savarin’s book, he had a revelation. – While watching a performance at Teatr Współczesny, at one point I had a visualization – Grzegorz recalls when he came up with the idea of directing the play. – I saw all the scenes in detail and heard the music. I knew exactly how I was going to adapt “The Physiology of Taste.” This text was presented in Poland for the first time. And the first thought of creating this play came to me during my trip to Paris. I was inspired by the spirit of this fantastic city.
“The Physiology of Taste,” directed by Grzegorz Roman, is a story about a dinner party. A state councillor is hosting a dinner, but at the last moment he has to leave. He goes to an audience with the king. The guests are already seated at the table. No one serves dinner because the host is absent. The guests therefore wait for his return and begin talking about subjects related to the culinary arts.
– It was supposed to be an exceptionally elegant dinner – Grzegorz continues. – The state councillor invited lucrative people to it. Therefore, first of all, I needed a good theatrical stage and appropriate costumes. I did not do it at Concordia; I chose the Forum cinema-theatre at BOK-MCC because this space suited me best. The set design by Barbara Bednarowicz perfectly conveyed the mood of the performance. I am a supporter of classical theatre; I believe that every prop on stage must be put to use. I also used velvet in the actors’ costumes because velvet emphasised the refinement of the dinner party. I would also like to highlight the excellent music composed for the performance by Julia Niewar. I am extremely grateful to Juleczka for these compositions.
Grzegorz Roman was also pleased with his actors’ performances, having set the bar high for them. – My actors, although amateurs (you could hear it in their diction), performed their task excellently – Roman praises them. – Daria Ławniczak stepped wonderfully into the role. And it is a very difficult task. She was a flirt, a crude village chieftain who shouted about fish, a slut in a restaurant, and a very modest woman asking for support for the poor. We devoted a great deal of time to learning how to enter their roles, and Daria handled it wonderfully.
The actor-guests talked about dishes Grzegorz chose according to his own taste. – I chose the dishes according to my taste, but I also took the preferences of the Polish audience into account – Roman says. – At the dinner, they talked about soup, chicken and fish. In the original text it was turbot, but I changed it to the more familiar pike. I also added pigeon to the menu (although the original likewise mentions a heath hen). This choice was dictated by childhood memories. My grandfather raised pigeons. From my grandparents’ home, I also remember the intense smell of coffee and mint, which my grandfather brewed in the evenings when everyone came home after the autumn garden clean-up.
– The most interesting idea was to intrigue the audience with smells – Grzegorz adds. – At one point, scents began spreading from the stage. I achieved the intended effect. Surprised, the audience began wondering whether they really smelled the scents or whether it only seemed so as they listened to the appetising descriptions of dishes coming from the stage.
– I live to eat – Grzegorz says with a smile. – That is my motto. Although I want to supplement it with an explanation. Every pleasure, when we overindulge in it, begins to become tiresome. Therefore, you should not eat delicacies all week. But from time to time, you should treat yourself to a sensual gastronomic feast.
Grzegorz Roman completely agrees with the definition of gourmandise proposed by the author of “The Physiology of Taste”: “Gourmandise is the enemy of excess: a glutton and a drunkard lose control over themselves. Gourmandise is a passionate, reasoned and habit-strengthened inclination to give priority to things that gratify the taste.”
The performance attracted a full house. By staging the play in his hometown, Grzegorz Roman emphasised that he felt fantastic in Bolesławiec and always returned there. And although he is professionally connected with Wrocław, he will continue to oversee Concordia, whose activities he initiated.
– I have new ideas, I have projects – he says about his plans. – Concordia was created and continues to be created by the people who work there. I want to organise cultural life in Bolesławiec and I will certainly keep coming back here.
Grzegorz Roman – born in 1988 in Bolesławiec. Founder of Galeria Concordia in Bolesławiec. Graduate of the first-degree Music School in Bolesławiec (accordion) and the Local Community Animation programme in Wrocław (2009). Recipient of the Helena Radlińska European distinction for cultural animators, and distinctions at amateur theatre reviews – Bombard 2005 and ThePlayCity 2007. He took part in readings as part of the activities of the Centrala 71 foundation in Wrocław: “The Physiology of Taste,” directed by Justyna Kowalska; “Our Father,” directed by Katarzyna Baraniecka; and “Friend,” directed by Bartosz Potoczny.
(information from Grażyna Hanaf)