Girl on Fire

Imbued with symbolism and embedded in the convention of magical realism, it is a story about the search for identity and the discovery of inner strength. Martyna, the eponymous girl on fire, is sensitive, full of dreams, but she also struggles with fears and insecurities. Her daily life takes place in an ordinary environment, but her inner world of thoughts is rich and full of symbolic images. On the day of her fourteenth birthday, Martyna embarks on a metaphorical journey through the forest of her own thoughts and emotions. During this expedition, he meets the Fairy, the Philanthropist, the Fire Brigade and the Vanguard of Protest. A teenager fights for the right to her rebellion and anger while trying to find meaning and her place in the world.

Fire, which is a key symbol in art, represents in Martin both destruction and rebirth. It is a metaphor for her inner strength and passion, but also for her fear of the unknown and dangerous. We accompany the girl on fire as she learns to accept her feelings and discovers her identity, transforming from an explosive and insecure girl into a confident young woman.

Her struggles with family expectations, societal pressures and her own fears are universal and will move the hearts of viewers. Martyna shows that true strength comes from accepting oneself and courageously facing life's challenges.

The text was created as part of the 34th Competition for Theater Arts for Children and Youth organized by the Center for Children's Art in Poznań, conducted in the form of a writing program.

“Girl on Fire” combines humor in a very interesting way with wisdom understood as the lack of intrusiveness in the matter of talking about what a teenager should feel and how to behave. Understanding that one has the right to be misunderstood, that seems to be the key to Roksana Miner's performance. This would not have been possible if it were not for the main role of Jagoda Jasnowska — her Martyna skillfully balanced between typical teenage dilemmas and a deeper, emotional reflection of a young woman.

Piotr Gaszczyński, Theatre for All

The performance of Roksana Miner reminds me of a nice friend with whom you want to sit in a room, gossip, go for a walk, party, complain, talk about the whole world. Will it solve the problems of young people? I don't think so. But it can give relief and strengthen by naming emotions in a balanced way and looking for a remedy for them.

Julia Lizurek, monthly magazine Teatr

Distinctions:

A performance distinguished by Piotr Gaszczyński in the summary of the 2024/2025 theatre season of the Teatr dla Todos portal in the category best exhibition of new Polish art.

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 and to popularize Polish contemporary drama. The competition is organized by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute in Warsaw.