It is hard to believe that – encompassing both the darkest events of the twentieth century and some of the most profound achievements of modern philosophy – this life’s tale is only now being told on stage. The “double bind” of the title refers to the condition of the play’s protagonist, Sarah Kofman – philosopher, essayist, and professor at the Sorbonne, a peer in thought to Jacques Derrida and Gilles Deleuze, born into a family of Polish-Jewish immigrants. Kofman’s life was marked by a rift between her two mothers – Jewish and French – and the tension between the two cultural orders, each imposing their different duties and making its own moral claims on her. The director who has dared to take on the challenge of telling the story of Sarah Kofman and her philosophical legacy is Katarzyna Kalwat, whose Powrót do Reims / Returning to Reims (Nowy Teatr, Warsaw; Łaźnia Nowa, Kraków) and Holzwege (TR Warszawa) were among the festival highlights of recent years.

Within days of the premiere, critics were hailing Maja Ostaszewska’s portrayal of the title role one of the finest performances of her career – courageous, moving, and layered. On stage, she is joined by mothers, played by Maria Maj and Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik (much admired by Kraków audiences), while Jacek Poniedziałek, set in multiple male roles, delivers a virtuoso display of acting mastery. Kofman. Double Bind goes beyond the celebration of the Nowy Teatr ensemble, as it is also a triumph of the joint creation by outstanding artists representing various disciplines. The text is a work of writer Monika Muskała, and literary scholar, translator and screenwriter Janusz Margański; sets were created by Zbigniew Libera; music was composed by Wojtek Blecharz; and video footage was crafted by Marcin Koszałka.

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The performance includes depictions of war, explicit language, smoking, sexual content, nudity, the theme of suicide, and descriptions of violence, notably against children.

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Photo by Bartek Warzecha