SYN

(…) the creators make a shortcut: from folk origins, they abruptly enter the contemporary world. The universality of this story shocks and leaves the viewer under its spell for a long time.

Joanna Marcinkowska | source

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So much and yet so little... Three actors, in 45 minutes, realistically present and juxtapose the Polish mentality of the village against the superstitions of the fantasy world. Disabilities and all the flaws that society cannot and will not accept, as well as attempts to cope with them, creating an imaginary world full of Mamunas and Siubielis – this is what "Freedom" deals with here.

Antonina Chojnacka | source

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It turns out that this funny, yet very dark story has a concrete solution to the mystery suggested from the very first moments. The puzzle, which turns out to be much more deeply rooted in themes of identity (mis)recognition, initiation, exclusion, and reintegration than we almost realized. A beautiful, rare story in its unique form about growing into the role of father, mother, son. Into oneself.

Anna Jazgarska | source

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Jelenia Góra, May 2, 2023

There is something both pleasant and deeply unsettling in meditating on this year's idiom of PESTKA: "AT THE SOURCE." It brings us back, or perhaps more accurately, takes us on a journey inward, turning our face toward a direction other than usual. But which direction is that? Backward? Inward? Or even further, beyond the horizon? At the source, we can find fundamental things—the ones that build us as people, the ones that bind us in a network of mutual understanding. At the source lie shared stories, in which we can reflect, with which, in a magical and elusive way, we identify on many levels, but we all absolutely identify with them. At the source are emotions, colors, and meanings. And somewhere between all these things, there is Theatre—something common and magical, something that connects us. Such a meeting in Theatre is a great thing, an enormous force. It cannot be passed by indifferently. And there are those who have managed to revive this force on stage this year. More than that, they have reached the source and extracted from it an engaging and profound story—and told it with a great sense of humor. These people are Karol Smaczny, Mateusz Smaczny, Marcin Tomkiel, and Malika Tomkiel from the Wolność Group. The play SYN is moving on many levels, from the masterful manipulation of puppets to the contemporary resonance of the finale, which brilliantly punctuates this archetypal tale. The artists from the Wolność Group demonstrated incredible sensitivity towards their puppets. Their story never falls into pathos or didacticism; instead, it is conducted with consistency. And the incredible stage imagination, precision, and humor transport the audience to other worlds. Inward and to the source. It is worth noting that despite all the winks and humor, the story and puppets were always treated seriously. Moreover, in the play SYN, there are no unnecessary elements; everything works brilliantly in service of the story, such as the music of Michał Górczyński, which serves as an independent character in this world. It is a great pleasure to experience Theatre so full of meaning and yet modest. It is a great pleasure to reach the source of our shared stories.

Tomasz Jękot, Ingo Putz, Jędrzej Soliński, Jury of the Festival of Avant-Garde Theatre and Culture PESTKA 2023 European Theatre Meetings.

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(...) The artists, by presenting the story of the "Podmieniony Syn" by Mirosław Miniszewski, primarily posed questions that the audience had to answer for themselves. This approach was far more mature than moralizing or teaching about otherness, equality, and tolerance, which I initially feared. The metatheatrical character of the performance certainly helped with this, as the artists stepped out of their roles to comment on the events, adding their remarks or communicating technically as if in a dress rehearsal. The dramaturgy of the performance was worthy of the best contemporary Polish theatres. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Syn was awarded the Crystal Pestle at the Festival of Avant-Garde Theatre and Culture PESTKA 2023 in Jelenia Góra. The Białystok-based Grupa Wolność shows that avant-garde theatre, contemporary theatre, does not need to be fueled by gargantuan amounts of controversy or shocking means of expression to be a work of the highest caliber—art that is understanding, moving, and speaks about a reality that concerns everyone.

Karol Zimnoch | source

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In one final sentence, the artists of Grupa Wolność bring us back to the present, shattering that present, leaving the audience with swollen hands from clapping, showing just how deeply we are still entrenched in a realm of myths and superstitions, veiled in dim light...

rg | źródło

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One cannot help but be fascinated by the puppets. They are not particularly beautiful, rough-hewn, in a word – intriguing. The "Podmieniony Syn" has a large head, and his eyes are widely spaced, dark, almost elf-like. The children in the school have puppets’ heads, yet they are not innocent at all. Another puppet character – a man choked by a phantom – is a large puppet connected to an IV drip, speaking with the voice of Paweł Aigner, a director who collaborates with the Białystok Puppet Theatre and has many remarkable productions under his belt, including "Garderobiany" and "Texas Jim." The teacher’s puppet is also hooked up to an IV drip (voiced by actress Danuta Kierklo). Finally, the father’s puppet in the finale speaks with the voice of Ryszard Doliński, an actor from the Białystok Puppet Theatre. The minimalist lighting, spotlights, and the scent of nicotine from cigarettes smoked on stage add to the atmosphere. Michał Górczyński’s music – much like the group’s name – is full of freedom, breath, and jazz rhythms, perfectly complementing what unfolds on stage.

Anna Dycha | source

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The creators do not ask us to believe in the fantastic story, instead, we watch a script framed by a metatheatrical structure: from stepping out of their roles, using the actors' private identities, commenting on the action, to technical remarks. The script, with a healthy dose of unpretentious and dark humor, sparkles with narrative digressions. The success of "Syn" is complemented by the beautifully crafted puppets, which their creators – Karol Smaczny, Marcin Tomkiel, and Mateusz Smaczny – animate masterfully, along with the jazz music by Michał Górczyński (bass clarinet!). All of this came together to form a story about exclusion and acceptance that is uncompromising, unconventional in form, and free of weak points.

Wiktoria Formella | source

– The Main Prize CRYSTAL PESTKA at the Festival of Avant-Garde Theatres and Culture PESTKA 2023 European Theatre Meetings,
– Award for the Most Promising Young Puppet Actor by POLUNIMA for Marcin Tomkiel for his role in the play Syn,
– Najlepsze przedstawienie teatru lalkowego według miesięcznika „Teatr” w rankingu „Najlepszy, najlepsza, najlepsi w sezonie 2023/2024”,
– Nagroda im. Jana Wilkowskiego przyznaną przez Sekcję Teatrów Lalkowych ZASP,
– Nagroda za najlepszą muzykę dla Michała Górczyńskiego – 30. MFTL „SPOTKANIA”,
– Nagroda Główna Festiwalu Plastyki Teatrów Lalki i Formy Słupsk 2024 ufundowaną przez Marszałka Województwa Pomorskiego,
– Pierwsza nagroda Jury Festiwalu Plastyki Teatrów Lalki i Formy Słupsk 2024,
– Nagroda aktorska Związku Artystów Scen Polskich,
– Pierwsza nagroda na Trinationalen Theaterfestivals J-O-Ś w Zittau 2024,
– Wyróżnienie za animację, lalki oraz muzykę według Subiektywnego Alfabetu Teatralnego 2024 Arama Sterna,
– Grand Prix Festivalu Radosti, Brno 2025.

Performance presented at:

– 3. edycji Festivalu Radosti, Brno 2025.
– OFF Rzeszów 2025,
– 30. edycji Międzynarodowego Festiwalu Teatrów Lalek ,,Spotkania” Toruń 2024,
– 30. edycji Międzynarodowego Festiwalu Sztuki Lalkarskiej Bielsko-Biała 2024,
– XVIII Międzynarodowym Festiwalu Teatru Lalek i Animacji Filmowych dla Dorosłych LALKA TEŻ CZŁOWIEK Warszawa 2024,
– IV Festiwalu ART WEEKEND Białystok 2024,
– 30. jubileuszowym Międzynarodowym Festiwalu Sztuk Performatywnych A Part Katowice 2024,
– II Festiwalu Plastyki Teatrów Lalki i Formy Słupsk 2024,
– Trinationalen Theaterfestivals J-O-Ś Zittau 2024,
– 57. Międzynarodowym Festiwalu Teatralnym KONTRAPUNKT Szczecin 2024,
– Festiwalu Teatrów i Kultury Awangardowej PESTKA 2023 Europejskie Spotkania Teatralne,
– V edycji Międzynarodowego Festiwalu Teatrów Lalek dla Dorosłych „Metamorfozy Lalek” 2023,
– X Międzynarodowym Festiwalu Szkół Lalkarskich LALKANIELALKA 2022.