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 in partnership with CultureHub and the Polish Cultural Institut NY
Dream Adoption Society
Concept, Director, VR Design – Krzysztof Garbaczewski
Performers – Danusia Trevino, Tomasz Rodowicz
Adaptation – Rébecca Pierrot
Costume Designer – Monika Beilstein
Live VR Music – Jan Duszyński
Avatars – Marcin Kosakowski
Set Design – Krzysztof Garbaczewski
Livestream Camera Design, Light Design – Robert Mleczko
VR Design - Maciej Gniady
CultureHub
DeAndra Anthony – Technical Director
Mattie Barber-Bockelman – Producing Director
Sangmin Chae – Creative Technologist
Billy Clark – Artistic Director
POLAND
Centre for the Documentation of the Art of Tadeusz Kantor CRICOTEKA & Divine Comedy Festival
Director: Kamil Białaszek
Performers: Natalia Szczypka, Oliver Woodcock
VR Design: Maciej Gniady
SERBIA
Eho Animato: Željko Maksimović, Ana Konstantinović, Marija Kovačina
FMK Belgrade: Ana Knezevic
UKRAINE
NASHi Experimental Theatre Club: Romana Isabella
GREECE
Chrysanthi Badeka, Kostadis Mizaras, and Team
Τechnical Supervisors: Anastasios Theodoropoulos and Katerina ElRaheb
GEORGIA
Gurami Ghonghadze and Royal District Theatre • სამეფო უბნის თეატრი
KAZAKHSTAN
Assel Shaldibayeva and Bekarys Seri in 𝗯𝗨𝗟𝘁
Photo by Lívia Sá, courtesy of CultureHub
NYC TEAM
Krzysztof Garbaczewski - Director, script, set design, VR design
Rebecca Pierrot - Dramaturgy
Jakub Janicki - Music
Radomir Majewski - VR design
DeAndra Anthony – Technical Director
Mattie Barber-Bockelman – Producing Director
Sangmin Chae – Creative Technologist
Billy Clark – Artistic Director
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.
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.