31. Theatrical Confrontations: Kofman. Double Bind

Sorbonne professor Sarah Kofman, despite her impressive scholarly achievements, never secured the place she deserved among the greatest figures of world philosophy. A pioneering element of her work was introducing a female perspective into the grand, male-centered philosophical systems.

Only late in life did she dare to tell her own story - of a childhood split between two mothers: a biological mother of Jewish origin and an adoptive French mother, with whom she hid during the war. Kofman described these experiences with the distance she had gained toward her past. The artificial identity, constructed over many years, not only allowed her to escape death but also enabled her to reflect on what lay deepest within her own sense of self.

Direction: Katarzyna Kalwat / text: Janusz Margański, Monika Muskała / scenic text adaptation: Monika Muskała / set design: Zbigniew Libera / music: Wojtek Blecharz / lighting design, film photography: Marcin Koszałka / costumes: Katarzyna Kalwat, Saskia Hellmann / cast: Maria Maj, Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik, Maja Ostaszewska, Jacek Poniedziałek, Alicja Strojek, Kamila Wąsik-Janiak

The performance contains: themes of war, vulgar language, cigarettes, sex, nudity, themes of suicide, descriptions of violence including violence against children.