The Swimming Pool

Some Maria, some Krystyna, some Janina, some Elżbieta, some Andrzej… Somewhere between bouts of lower back pain and grumbling - they learn to swim at the city pool. It's nice to stand next to someone and feel that you have a body. You can talk to people instead of sitting at home in front of the television. All nonsense. There were no televisions before, and things were better.

Now they try holding their breath. Inhale. And exhale underwater. Exercises in dying. They giggle. One pretends to be dead while the other holds them, then they switch. They're a bit afraid they'll start learning and won't live to see the satisfaction.

"The Swimming Pool" by Magdalena Drab is a humorous tale about old age - for the old, the young, and those in between. A performance about how to stay afloat in life, find meaning in small gestures, and support in another person.