8th OPEN THE DOOR International Festival - The Survivors (Dom Spotkań z Historią, Warsaw)

Polish Sign Language and audio description provided

THE SURVIVORS, directed by Maja Kleczewska, is the newest monodrama Agnieszka Przepiórska’s and one of the first theatrical tributes to the victims of the pacification of Ochota during the Warsaw Uprising. Drawing from excerpts of memories and diaries of both witnesses and victims, playwright Piotr Rowicki has crafted the story of Irena K., a poignant depiction of the atrocities committed in 1944 by the SS RONA units, consisting primarily of deserters from the Red Army. The play is not just a story about the transit camp at Zieleniak; it becomes a universal narrative about the experiences of women who suffered wartime rape. This story will be relevant in every part of the world where armed conflict is taking place, and where rape is used as a weapon of war. Irena K. from Opaczewska Street was just 12 years old in August 1944 when the SS RONA units appeared in insurgent Warsaw, forcing Ochota’s civilian population into the camp at Zieleniak. Night after night, drunken soldiers dragged out of the crowd women of all ages, from little girls to expectant mothers, and raped them. Many of them were brutally murdered. Irena managed to survive. For eighty years, her memory fell silent, but on the day a monument was unveiled to honor the murdered at Zieleniak, it all came back to her. She was back in the night at Zieleniak, hearing the screams of the girls and women no one could save. Once again she heard her own muffled voice. Then, suddenly, she began to speak out loud: “At that time, I had a white ribbon pinned in my hair… .”

The History Meeting House (Dom Spotkań z Historią or DSH) is a cultural institution of the City of Warsaw.

Since 2005, it has been dedicated to promoting recent history — especially through primary sources and personal testimonies. DSH hosts exhibitions that often feature little-known photo collections. It organizes meetings, educational workshops, seminars, and conferences. The institution is also active in publishing and in producing theater performances and documentary films. Through its Oral History Archive, DSH collects, curates, and shares the testimonies of eyewitnesses to history. For more information: www.dsh.waw.pl.

The OPEN THE DOOR International Festival, thanks to its openness and inclusiveness, is one of the most unique festivals in Poland. Its program includes, among others, works by artists with disabilities and artists from disadvantaged social groups.

At OPEN THE DOOR we present the most interesting phenomena of Polish and foreign contemporary theatre. Festival presentations arouse emotions, provoke discussion and familiarize with what is foreign, difficult and often unavoidable.

In a special way we focus on the phenomenon of exclusion, which can be caused by many different reasons, and above all we stand for inclusion. We overcome barriers, break stereotypes, cross borders. Selected festival events will be presented in Polish Sign Language, with subtitles and with audio description.