DESIGN: MOTHER

November 22, 2026

Time: 18:00

Venue: Kana Theatre - free admission (registration) And availability

The play, realized by the “female section” of the Kana ensemble and directed by Mateusz Przyłęcki in a perverse, tender, rebellious and humorous way, tells about what is usually kept silent about in the context of parenting: helplessness, anger, anger, confusion, about a child's room locked in four walls loneliness, about “motherhood without icing.” The trio of actresses confronts the myth of the blessed state with bodily physiology, the newspaper postulates of “human birth” with the violent hospital routine, the dream of walking and sleeping with sleepless nights and the terror of the good advice of experienced reverend mothers. Above all, however, it is a call to discern in the mother, the human being, for a separate identity at a time when everyone expects you to “live for two”, or rather to “absorb” your own needs for the sake of a second life.

The winning performance of the 24th Alternative Theatre Meetings — KLAMRA'2016” in Toruń.

“Project: Mother” is a powerful spectacle, mercilessly dispelling myths about motherhood, all kinds of theories, beautiful descriptions in books, when a woman is supposedly exclusively illuminated by a blessed state, the child sobs, and does not scream like possessed, everything seems so soulful and unusual. And in the meantime... The truth is naked, physiological, entangled in poop, sleepless nights, a murderous desire to silence a nagging infant. With all the boundless love for your own child, you can sometimes have enough of it at the same time, it's natural and human. But this is not talked about out loud, after all, there will always be someone holier than a saint, who will roll his eyes and call the prodigal mother. So mothers are silent, they suppress their frustrations somewhere deep, they will feed themselves at most somewhere on the Internet, on a blog, most often anonymously. But Kana decided not to remain silent, to throw the motherly Mordor directly on the stage, to name certain things directly, because why not.” (Maternal Mordor on stage. Project: Mother, Monika Żmijewska, 22.05.2016 13:55, Wyborcza Bialystok)

adaptation and direction: Mateusz PrzyłęckisScenario based on texts from the blog Motherhood Without Frosting: Bajki (radziki-termos.blog.pl), Małgorzaty Dawid-Mróz (manufaktura-radosci.pl), Monika Grudzień (fjakfrustratka.blogspot.com), Dagmary Klein (la-terra-del-pudding.blogspot.co.uk), Przywa Wives (firsta-zona.blog.pl), Kasia Salek (sistermoon), Joanna Skotnicka (moje-waterloo.blogspot.com), Agnieszka Sujata (from the book “Huśtawka”) and from blogs: Aleksandra Michalak (matkasanepid.pl), Mama Rysiowa (krystyno-nie-denerwuj-matki.blog.pl) and others: Mateusz Przyłęckimuzyka: Andrzej Bonareksong (to the lyrics of Mama Rysiowa): Konrad Cwajdarap inspired by Hollie McNish's poem “Embarrassed”: Piotr Starzyński, Mateusz Przyłęcki based on translation by Grzegorz Czuchajardrawings: Gustaw GrygierAnimations: Piotr Starzyńskifilm: Krzysztof Sanecki (production and editing), Piotr Motas (voice) cast: Bibianna Chimiak, Karolina Sabat, Marta Giers-Sanecka (until 14.02.2021)/Marta Grygier (until 7.03.2026)/Marta Łągiewka (currently) realization: Teatr Kanapremiera: September 2014sensitive content: strobe light appears in the performance and vulgarismavailability: AD, SUBTITLES PL, ENG, DECDuration: 65 minutes

As part of the “Open Theatre in Cannes” project, the performance is available with audio description, subtitles in Polish and translation into German and English. The project is funded by the City of Szczecin.