You describe „kurz und knapp“ as a news performance. What can we imagine by that?

Ewa Bańkowska: The frame of the whole performance is a newscast show, the difference being that it is happening on stage and it is deconstructed and twisted. What fascinates me the most about this situation is the absurdity of the fact that the performer is looking front addressing an absent, imaginary TV news audience, while being observed by the performance audience. There is something about this displacement and absence that is melancholic and funny at the same time. That gives an opportunity to address indirectly the issues of the present.

You work a lot with language, misunderstandings, linguistic subtleties, etc. What fascinates you about language?

Ewa Bańkowska: Language is an omnipresent system of communication. It is there in every area of life. What interests me in the context of performance is an opportunity to dissect language. Zoom in on small subtleties. See how many words are really necessary to describe or announce something.
 

In contrast to classical structures as we know them in the theater, you are everything in one person: director, text producer, performer, etc. What does it mean for you to work like this? What does a regular working day look like for you?

Ewa Bańkowska: It is a lot of work, however this mode allows for a certain efficiency and directness from idea to realization. At the same time to work like this, I needed to create a system. It is a lot about getting to know yourself and dividing tasks and areas that can develop simultaneously without overburdening yourself. And sometimes treating material that you created as something new or foreign. Every working day is different depending on the task.

For the setting you work together with the light designer Patricia Schönangerer. What can we expect there?

Ewa Bańkowska: We are basically working with three light atmospheres. One for the audience area and two for the performance area. The audience will be seated at subtly lit coffee tables. The performance area will receive a bright TV Studio light, that will, at some point, transform into a theatre mono-dram-like atmosphere.