Without alcohol and drugs, I'm boring

Marta Markiewicz at the age of 25 found herself at a critical point, which forced her to stop and decide to change.

In her 2024 book Without Alcohol and Drugs, I Am Boring, she described the experience of a life of addiction — when she collapsed her life thinking she was having a great time. And then she recounted her sobriety path.

“Without alcohol and drugs I am boring” is the literature of the current diagnosis: manifesting, sharp and uncompromising in an attempt to undermine the world order. The heroine-author dismantles all stereotypes about addictions. This is a young, capable, educated girl from a good home.

In the adaptation of Mira Mańka, several characters appear who have become addicted to stimulants for completely different reasons. Their stories are similar to Martha's experience — although their paths to addiction and recovery are different, they are united by a moment of crisis and attempts to rebuild life on new terms.

However, you will not find in them didacticism and moralizing. Mira Mańka uses strategies of self-fiction and stand-up, which serve not only to entertain, but also to tame experiences.

Without alcohol and drugs, I'm boring is a project focused on the healing process and community. It creates a space for meeting, sharing experiences and talking about sobriety as a practice of everyday life — difficult but possible.

Powerful lighting effects, strobe light and loud music are used in the performance.

I like to think of this book as part of the mainstream of healing literature, strongly linked to the psychotherapeutic experiences of our generation. I have the impression that this has also greatly influenced the process of emancipation of women and other people of our generation.

SEVEN, everyone has their reason — the beginning, the ending, or something that causes the addiction to last. The performance “Without alcohol and drugs I am boring” helps to understand, help and, above all, show hopes, referring to the stories of real people. I recommend it to anyone who is facing a similar problem, is in active or passive addiction or wants to delve deeper into the subject.Sylwia Walkowska, Dziennik Teatralny Kujawy

It is therefore worth looking for new languages adapted to a younger audience — all the more so as the age of alcohol and drug initiation is systematically decreasing. In Mańka's play didacticism appears, but it does not take an intrusive form. It is rather the voice of a supportive friend, reminding that everything will be fine.Magdalena Ożarowska, Teatr — Pismo

The National Competition for the Exhibition of Polish Contemporary Art aims to reward the most interesting repertory research in Polish theatre, to support domestic dramaturgy in its stage productions, to popularise Polish contemporary drama and to broaden the field of theatre criticism thanks to the presence of members of the Artistic Commission at performances in theatre centres throughout the country and their review activities.

The competition is organized by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute in Warsaw. The substantive coordinator of the Competition is Dominik Gac, while the organizational and financial coordinator is Maria Stępkowska.