War on Words

We invite you to the performance of the Institute of Performative Law on Russian disinformation in Poland!

WAR ON WORDS

October 7, 2026, 12:00

October 7, 2026, 7:00 PM

Forum Cinema, 5 Legionowa Street

tickets: PLN 30 (normal), PLN 20 (reduced) — at the box offices of the Forum Cinema and the L. Zamenhof Center and online

Discussions after the performances will be conducted by Monika Żmijewska

The war is already upon us. And each and every one of us, consciously or not, is on its front.

Russia has been waging a cognitive war in Poland for years, and disinformation is a weapon that it uses extremely efficiently. Russia's actions in the information domain are carefully planned, dangerous and much more difficult to define than physical combat.

“War on Words” tells about what is happening in our information space. How Russia constructs its message, how it is distributed and received, and what effects it produces. One of the most important is the change in the attitude of Poles towards the citizens of Ukraine.

The show shows this process from the inside: how Ukrainians from the nation for whom we opened doors and hearts in 2022 become strangers, intruders, threats. The authors also ask the question: who really benefits from this?

The team of the Institute of Performative Law for several months conducted research on the mechanisms of this operation. He talked to experts, analyzed data leaks, mapped impact networks. What he collected, he translated into stage language.

The show combines documentary narration with a minimalist, expressive visual and sound setting. It builds a multi-layered picture of the war, which takes place in real time, also during the course of the show.

“War on Words” is not just a play. This is a real response to the threat of misinformation. The creators, as in previous projects (including “Sad River”, “Border Situation”), are simultaneously undertaking legal actions aimed at countering Russian propaganda.

Theatre rarely reaches for documentalism in its most eloquent and literal form. Even less often, he goes outside the stage to act legally, civically, politically.

This show does both.

Starring: Arkadiusz Brykalski, Mateusz Janicki, Małgorzata Nowińska

Written by: Anna Cybulska, Milena Kuchnia, Agata Patora, Filip Płuciennik, Hanna Stacewicz

Directed by: Institute of Performative Law

Dramaturgy: Milena Kuchnia, Filip Płuciennik, Hanna Stacewicz

Music: Dominik Strycharski

Visualizations: Michał Mitoraj

Coordination: Milena Paszkowska

Produced by: Milena Paszkowska, Filip Płuciennik, Hanna Stacewicz

Consulting: Michał Zadara

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The performance is a production of the Institute of Performative Law

The performance was realized as part of the sixth edition of the OFF Polska program.

OFF Polska is a program of the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute. Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.