What agency does art have in relation to law, politics, and social processes?

What can theatre do? Merely tell stories — or change the course of history?

For almost a decade, Michał Zadara and the team of Centrala have been testing the possibilities of theatre as a means of seeking truth and fighting for justice. Their work extends beyond art itself, merging the tools of activism, investigative journalism, and law to publicly address urgent social and environmental issues.

It all began with Justice — an unprecedented theatrical investigation in which Zadara, collaborating with lawyers, historians, and theatre artists, examined the possibility of holding individuals criminally or civilly responsible for their role in the expulsion of Jews from Poland in March 1968. Since then, Centrala and Zadara have conducted several other investigations.

At this year’s Divine Comedy Festival, the audience will have a chance to see two of their latest productions, created in collaboration with the Institute of Performative Law.

Sad River (Smutna rzeka) combines performance — featuring actress Barbara Wysocka and musician Dominik Strycharski — with a gripping investigation that exposes the corrupt entanglements of power and business in Poland, as well as the disregard for the environment as a shared good. When, in 2022, an ecological disaster struck and the Oder River was poisoned, killing most of its aquatic life, the Chief of Police announced a one-million-zloty reward for anyone who could identify the perpetrator. Michał Zadara took up the challenge. Together with his collaborators, he reconstructs the events leading to the catastrophe and names those responsible — including some of the most prominent figures in Polish politics.

In Borderline Situation (Sytuacja graniczna), the Institute of Performative Law puts the Polish state on trial. The accusation concerns acts of violence committed by state institutions — including the army and Border Guard — against migrants attempting to cross the Polish-Belarusian border into Europe. The defendant did not appear in court; however, the audience witnesses the trial, with Mateusz Janicki as the defence lawyer, Barbara Wysocka as the prosecutor, and Maja Ostaszewska as the judge — an actress who has long been raising awareness about the ongoing humanitarian crisis, regardless of which party is in power. This courtroom drama is a voice in a matter that should trouble everyone — and a response to the silence of politicians who, through inaction, allow violence to continue.

These intimate theatre-lectures-investigations are powerful evidence that theatre can become a space of direct civic engagement and an act of political intervention. Both works will be presented on 10 December at AST, followed by a meeting with Michał Zadara.

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Photo: materials of the Institute of Performative Law