In March, Bolesławiec may confidently adopt the name “city of theater” instead of the already worn-out designation “city of ceramics.” Four performances by professional theaters and several amateur shows await Bolesławiec residents. They invite us to Molière (Teatr Stary) and tempt us with Bruno Jasieński (BOK-MCC). Since both plays have a political subtext, one can also sense a political scent in the air.
The president built the Orka water park for residents, while the district head renovated—or, excuse me, “saved”—the theater for residents. When something is saved, it is even more than built, because it is then brought back to life. And one can confidently say that this is a small miracle.
All March performances at Teatr Stary can be attended free of charge. That is also wonderful, because a ticket to a performance at Forum costs 60 zlotys. Only there are not many free tickets, because first, the theater has just 200 seats, and second, many guests have been invited, including the miracle-working officials. And the press. Someone has to write and show what it was like to all those who will not receive tickets. And the county, as we know, is large.
I wonder whether, before every performance, a message will be played over the loudspeakers saying that the district head saved the theater?! After all, at Forum we hear before every 3D screening that it is the first local-government cinema of its kind. Perhaps, instead of a recording that hardly suits a dignified theater, the District Office will delegate one of its members and give him a position so that he can always sit in the front row and represent the interests of the party and the office?
That is, if “free” theatergoers turn into theatergoers who pay “several dozen zlotys per ticket.” Or a genuine miracle will occur and free tickets will always be distributed. It is extremely interesting to see how this district Teatr Stary will function. Because if it charges admission, some youth wing of another party may say that it is too expensive after all (this happened to the local-government Forum cinema at the beginning of its operation), while if it is free, they will accuse it of being funded with taxpayers’ money... There may be problems, like those with Orka, where the issue of savings and cold water keeps returning.
Although Orka’s president can probably simply ignore the attacks and the black PR. Stanisław Tym already explained in one of his sketches that in such situations one should draw on the power of… nature. He reassured people when the West mocked us because we could not catch up with it, saying that we would come out ahead anyway, because the Earth is round and those who are running away will soon begin chasing us. And President Tomczyk knows that seasons exist and that summer comes after winter. In summer, everyone will be grateful that the water in Orka is cool rather than hot. And who will be laughing then?
So let us rejoice, supposedly not-dark people, that those in power have given us a swimming pool and a theater, and many, many beautiful things, because they could have given us NOTHING. After all, they are there to govern, not to build places where we can soak our bottoms for pleasure, nor to save cultural establishments where we can gorge ourselves on culture for free.
(Grażyna Hanaf)