Books of Jacob / Part II
Krzysztof Garbaczewski - director, script, set design, VR design
In partnership with Polish Cultural Institute NYC and CultureHub
In this quantum, Kabbalistic, VR spectacle, the story of Jacob Frank comes to life simultaneously in seven locations around the world in a synchronized performance happening in New York, Serbia, Poland, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Greece. Actors performing on physical stages in each country and on a digital stage in virtual reality, capture a world on the brink of change as they animate the story of a young Jew in the 18th-century who experiences ecstatic visions travels across the Habsburg and Ottoman empires, meeting heretical condemnation one moment and messianic recognition the next. The Books of Jacob is a live performance that audiences can experience in-person in each country or online in VRChat. Audiences at La MaMa will have the opportunity to put on a VR headset and experience the production digitally, as well as from their seat where the virtual environment will be projected and layered into the scenography. The digital performance network activated as part of this project transforms how theater is experienced and expands the theater’s global reach. Through La MaMa, CultureHub, and Dream Adoption Society’s global outreach, teams of artists and theater groups in different parts of the world are connected in a VR environment. Real-time translation services and subtitles in the virtual environment facilitate this multilingual production.
The Books of Jacob is presented by La MaMa in partnership with The Polish Cultural Institute NY. The Books of Jacob was developed in La MaMa and CultureHub's Experiments in Digital Storytelling Program, which is generously funded by the NEA and Radio Drama Network. This performance has been made possible through generous support from Trust for Mutual Understanding.
USA
Presented by La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
in partnership with CultureHub and The Polish Cultural Institute NY
Performed by DREAM_ADOPTION_SOCIETY
in the framework of Digital_Performance_Network
DREAM ADOPTION SOCIETY
Concept, Director, VR Design: Krzysztof Garbaczewski
Performers: Rébecca Pierrot, Tomasz Rodowicz
Script: Rébecca Pierrot
Costume Designer: Monika Beilstein, Małgorzata Karpiuk, Sławomir Blaszewski
Live VR Music: Jan Duszyński
Avatar Creation: Marcin Kosakowski
Set Design: Krzysztof Garbaczewski, Robert Mleczko
Livestream Camera Design, Lighting Design: Robert Mleczko
CULTUREHUB
Creative Producing, Audio/Visual/Livestreaming Systems
DeAndra Anthony: Technical Director
Mattie Barber-Bockelman: Producing Director
Sangmin Chae: Emerging Media Director
Billy Clark: Artistic Director
POLAND
Center for the Documentation of the Art of Tadeusz Kantor CRICOTEKA
Presented by Divine Comedy Festival
Director: Kamil Białaszek
Performers: Natalia Szczypka, Paweł Smagała, Oliver Woodcock
VR Design: Maciej Gniady
Main Kabbalist: Andrzej Serafin
SERBIA
Presented by Faculty of Media and Communications (Belgrade)
Project Coordination & Technical Support: Jacques Laroche
Performers: Teodora Miodragović and Ana Marija Petrović
Sound: Matija Milošević and Djordje Petković
Photo: Djordje Petković
Camera: Aleksa Borković
Creative Producer: Ana Knežević
VR Venue Director: Predrag Terzić
Dean of FMK: Maja Stanković
UKRAINE
Presented by NASHi Experimental Theatre Club
Director: Romana Isabella Soutus
Performers: Yuliia Linnik, Artur Slisarenko
Art Direction: Lesia Radchenko
Associate Producer & Stage Manager: Pavlo Koval
Technical Director: Yaroslav Konko
GREECE
Presented by MOZ PRODUCTIONS
Director/Choreographer/Cinematographer/Editor: Chrysanthi Badeka
Performer: Kostadis Mizaras
Scientific Advisor for VR Applications / Technical Consultant: Anastasios Theodoropoulos
Scientific Advisor eXtended Reality/ Embodied Human-Computer Interaction: Katerina ElRaheb
GEORGIA
Presented by Royal District Theatre • სამეფო უბნის თეატრი
Creative Producer: Gurami Ghonghadze
KAZAKHSTAN
Presented by bULt
Performers: Acell Shaldibayeva, Arys Ässem
Krzysztof Garbaczewski is a renowned theater director and the founder of Dream Adoption Society. He graduated from the Ludwik Solski State Drama School in Krakow with a degree in Theater Directing and Dramaturgy. Garbaczewski uses the medium of theater to explore existential questions and push the boundaries of human experience. Since 2017, he has been developing a new theatrical language that incorporates virtual 3D environments, avatars, virtual scenography, and live actors. His innovative approach creates meticulously crafted mixed reality experiences for both online platforms and live audiences. By blending traditional and digital elements, Garbaczewski offers unique, immersive experiences that challenge conventional theater norms and invite audiences to engage with cutting-edge, interactive storytelling.
Photo by Lívia Sá, courtesy of CultureHub
CultureHub
CultureHub pushes the boundaries of artistic collaboration and experimentation as an incubator for creativity focused on the intersection of art and technology. We serve local and global communities by providing an open space for creative research, artistic exchange and learning.