INFORMATION PORTAL OF THE MARSHAL'S OFFICE OF THE KUJAWSKO-POMORSKIE Region IN TORUŃ

The Polish premiere of “7 Solitudes”, directed by one of the world’s most acclaimed theatre directors, the late Robert Wilson, inaugurated the jubilee 30th edition of the International Kontakt Festival on Friday (29 May). The opening ceremony was attended by Marshal Piotr Całbecki and Vice Marshal Zbigniew Ostrowski. The festival is co-financed by the regional self-government.

– Kontakt is in excellent condition. Reviews of the previous edition demonstrate its strength and significance. Among the many theatre festivals in Poland, Kontakt remains one of the most important. It is a unique event, not only because of this anniversary edition, but also because of its outstanding artistic quality. I hope that the jubilee edition will remain in the memories of audiences and artists for a long time – said Marshal Piotr Całbecki during the opening ceremony.

The 30th edition of Kontakt features eleven competition performances and numerous accompanying events.

Outstanding directors, including Jan Klata and Maja Kleczewska, will present their productions in Toruń. The programme also includes film screenings and the concert project “Witkacy. Astronomical Compositions” by Wojciech Mazolewski and Marcin Dorociński.

The Polish premiere of “7 Solitudes” is the highlight of this year’s festival. The production is based on the writings of Oskar Miłosz, the French-language poet, writer and thinker born in what is now Belarus and later based permanently in Paris. Wilson was responsible for the direction, set design and lighting concept.

During rehearsals, Wilson was aware that he might not live to see the premiere. He therefore worked with extraordinary intensity to complete the project and pass on all of its key artistic principles to the creative team. Before his death, he expressly requested that the production be completed exactly according to his artistic vision. Robert Wilson passed away on 31 July 2025.

– This is a project we have been working on for more than a year – emphasises Renata Derejczyk, Director of the Wilam Horzyca Theatre and the Kontakt Festival.

The production was created as an international co-production between the Wilam Horzyca Theatre in Toruń and the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre in Kaunas, bringing together artists and both theatre ensembles around Robert Wilson’s final project.

“7 Solitudes” is neither a conventional literary adaptation nor an attempt to explain Miłosz’s texts. Instead, it is a poetic and hypnotic stage experience in which words, images, light, music and movement combine to create a multidimensional story about solitude, spirituality, memory and the search for meaning.

The text adaptation and completion of the project were entrusted to Charles Chemin, a close collaborator of Wilson and co-creator of more than twenty of his productions.

Another major strength of the festival programme is its presentation of European artists with distinctive and highly individual theatrical languages, including “The Summit” by Christoph Marthaler, “The Seer” by Milo Rau and “Faith, Money, War and Love” by Robert Lepage.

The festival will also offer new interpretations of Polish classics. From Jan Klata’s “The Teutonic Knights” and Maja Kleczewska’s “The Promised Land” to Anna Augustynowicz’s “The Curse”, these productions explore themes of community, social transformation and contemporary tensions.

The programme also includes more intimate stories about relationships, closeness and the mechanisms of building communities, including “Scenes from a Marriage” by Katarzyna Minkowska, “The Stream. Exercises in Community” by Wiktor Rubin and “Very Ibsen” by Dominika Knapik.

The festival’s closing concert combines jazz, literature and dramatic interpretation. Original music by Wojciech Mazolewski, accompanied by expressive performances by Marcin Dorociński, places the event somewhere between a concert and a theatrical performance. It is a proposition for audiences interested in unconventional stage forms. The project draws inspiration from texts by Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, adapted by Agnieszka Wolny-Hamkało.

Jury of the 30th International Kontakt Festival

• Johanna Freundlich – Artistic Director of the Helsinki Festival
• Artur Ghukasyan – President of the High Fest International Performing Arts Festival in Armenia
• Savas Patsalidis – Professor at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Editor-in-Chief of Critical Stage

Awards of the 30th International Kontakt Festival

• Grand Prize of Marshal Piotr Całbecki for the best festival production
• Award of the Mayor of Toruń, Paweł Gulewski, for the festival’s most outstanding artistic personality
• Awards for Best Actress and Best Actor
• Awards for the most interesting discoveries or events of the festival and for outstanding creators
• The Zdzisław Maklakiewicz Award, funded by the Polish Union of Stage Artists, for the best supporting acting performance

Wilam Horzyca Theatre and the Press Office of the Marshal’s Office

29 May 2026

Last updated: 1 June 2026