Ophelia's Heartbeats // Handszu/Trawkowska/Purandare

Ophelia's Heartbeats is a music-theatre performance that explores the character of Ophelia from William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" through her inner world - her emotions, desires, and experiences. The production focuses on the psychological dimension of the character and offers an original interpretation of her relationship with herself and the reality around her.

The project is intercultural in nature, blending European and Indian inspirations. The text layer incorporates fragments from Polish translations of "Hamlet" by Józef Paszkowski and Stanisław Wyspiański, as well as Indian texts and poetry that reference Ophelia's character. The performance is presented in three languages: Polish, English, and Marathi.

The music emerges from a dialogue between jazz, vocal improvisation, and traditional Indian rhythms and instruments, including tabla. Many of the original texts and songs are created during rehearsals - improvisation is an integral part of the creative process. The performance also features traditional forms of singing and stage movement from Indian performative traditions, with a key element being Baithakichi Lavni - a historical form of musical theatre from Maharashtra in which the soloist, seated on the ground and accompanied by musicians, tells a story through song, word, and theatrical expression.

Performance: Kornelia Trawkowska (Ophelia), music: Milena Handszu, Mandar Purandare. Communication and promotion: Aleksandra Kubik, Aleksandra Puk. Production: Aleksandra Puk. Technical support: Jacek Broda.