Winged Elephants: The Jeżyce Story Project

Abstract

The article uses the example of the Jeżyce Story project, a four-episode theatre serial, to examine the strategy adopted by Nowy Theatre in Poznań to construct a new audience. The idea was to change the way the previously run-of-the-mill yet rather elite theatre functioned by opening it to audiences from the neighbourhood and giving them a chance to connect witha stage that they had not previously viewed as ‘their own’. The first step was to invite local residents to barter their stories and share them face-to-face with the actors. These stories then formed the basis for a series of plays portraying several Jeżyce residents as protagonists. The project allowed the new and previous audiences to meet, noticing and learning to appreciate their own diversity.