“Lucy's Project” — A. Nierzwicka/L. Walczak/M. Jarosinska | SKT performance

“THE LUCY PROJECT”

In 1964, a pair of American scientists - psychotherapist Maurice Temerlin and his wife, sociologist Jane - decided on an unusual experiment. They adopted a newborn chimpanzee from a Florida zoo, named her Lucy, and decided to raise her the way a human child is raised. The experiment was intended to help determine exactly where the line between man and animal runs and what shapes us most strongly — genes or upbringing, nature or culture.

Lucy lived like a human — she wore clothes, drew, drank tea, knew more than a hundred signs of sign language and was able to communicate with her surroundings. Her story hit the press, and the Temerlins gained fame. However, the idyll did not last forever. As Lucy grew older, she began to cause problems, she was strong and unpredictable, which made her dangerous. She was locked in a cage and hired to look after student Janis Carter. The relationship between Lucy and Janis, however, quickly went beyond the realm of scientific contact. To ensure her a dignified life, Janis had a cage built for herself and settled with Lucy in the jungle.

Our story is not only a story about the experiment, but above all about its effects. About what happens when a person crosses the boundaries of nature. This is the story of the chimpanzee Lucy, raised by humans as a child. The story of an animal that has become not only an object of research, but also a tool for gaining fame and success by its guardians. About a monkey who was at the same time a guinea pig and a beloved daughter. She believed herself to be a man — until at last this humanity was taken away from her.

The show was inspired by the documentary My Life with Lucy directed by Karen Arthur and the book Lucy: Growing Up Human by Maurice Temerlin.

“Project Lucy” is an attempt to give voice to Lucy, a creature that has remained primarily the focus of research and experimentation for years. The play raises the question of the possibility of restoring its subjectivity and wonders to what extent it is even possible to try to tell its story from a human perspective.

Text: Agata Nierzwicka, Laura WalczakDirector: Agata NierzwickaCast: Laura Walczak, Monika JarosińskaStage design: Monika Jarosińska

Music: Lena MikhailovDoll design: Magda Turna

Duration: 65 min

Premiere: 26.02.2026, Jan Wilkowski Theatre, BiałystokThe performance was developed during the Sopot Non-Fiction 2025 Artistic Residence.

*Traditionally, after each presentation there is a conversation between viewers and creators. **Due to the specifics of the scene, late guests will not be allowed in.

photo: Jurek Bartkowski

*The play is performed as part of the 10th Sopot Theatrical Consequences.

Organizer: Teatr BotoPartner: rentersMedia patrons: e-teatr.pl, Radio Gdańsk, TrojMiasto.pldFinanced by the City of Sopot.Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund — a state special purpose fund

Other performances of this edition of SKT: