Summary
Tadeusz Kantor's theatrical masterpiece, The Dead Class, is a haunting exploration of memory and mortality. Drawing on materials from several Polish literary giants, including Stanisaw Ignacy Witkiewicz, Bruno Schulz, and Witold Gombrowicz, this performance blurs the boundaries between life and death, childhood and old age. In a series of surreal and disjointed scenes, Kantor crafts a visual and auditory experience that challenges traditional notions of theatre, engaging audiences with its unsettling yet captivating narrative.
Absorbing Influences
While The Dead Class incorporates texts and themes from other works, it stands as a unique creation in its own right. Kantor refers to the authors of these influences as "participants in the performance," yet their contributions are fully integrated into his distinct vision. Among these influences are Witkiewicz's Tumor Mózgowicz, a 1921 play, Schulz's short story "The Pensioner," and Gombrowicz’s novel Ferdydurke, which deals with themes of dehumanization and infantilization. These texts contribute to the layered complexity of The Dead Class, enhancing its exploration of existential themes.
A Surreal Setting
Structurally, The Dead Class is divided into three parts, each flowing seamlessly into the next without interruption. The performance opens in a schoolroom reminiscent of the early 20th century. Here, four rows of dust-covered desks are littered with crumbling notebooks, suggesting decay. By the side, a makeshift privy is guarded by the waxen-faced dummy of a Beadle, setting the scene for a journey into a realm where past and present coexist hauntingly.
The initial tableau presents twelve old people, dressed in black, with their faces painted in ghostly hues, standing behind the desks. They embody the concept of a "dead class." With a gesture from Kantor, they sit, raise their hands to ask questions, and then abruptly exit, leaving only the Old Man Exhibitionist behind—an eerie catalyst for the performance's surreal journey.
The Parade of Dead Childhood
In one of the performance's most striking sequences, the elderly characters, carrying effigies of their younger selves, circle the stage repeatedly in a "Grand Entrance and Parade of Dead Childhood." This haunting procession leads into a chaotic classroom lesson about Solomon, during which the Old Man Exhibitionist is humorously dragged to the privy, his trousers lowered in a spectacle of absurdity. The students, meanwhile, engage in a frantic Q&A session, their voices rising in tempo and volume.
As the Old Man takes on the role of Tumour Brainiowicz, lines from Witkiewicz's play intersperse with the action. The Somnambulist Prostitute, Old Man with the Bike, and Woman Behind the Window join in, their interactions adding layers of dissonance and intrigue. The scene devolves into pandemonium—voices slow, then rise to a crescendo of historical and Latin phrases, only to dissolve into incoherent noise.
Disintegration and Disorder
The performance continues to unravel with Kantor's signal bringing a temporary calm as the Old Man Repeater haltingly delivers a grammar lesson. His speech, however, collapses into chaos, prompting the students to respond with discordant vocalizations and grotesque gestures. The spectacle intensifies as the students thrash about, the remnants of their childhood dummies left behind in a stark portrayal of abandoned innocence.
Amid this chaos, the Charwoman emerges, played by a male actor, her cleaning ritual accelerating the disintegration of the classroom's relics. Her reading of a 1914 newspaper article about a historical assassination adds to the atmosphere, prompting the Beadle to exit, singing the Austrian anthem. "The Historical Delirium" echoes ominously, deepening the spectral ambiance.
Mechanical Contraptions and Family Machines
The introduction of the Family Machine and the Mechanical Cradle heightens the performance's surreal quality. Resembling instruments of torture, these contraptions are manipulated by the students, who...
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strap the Woman with the Mechanical Cradle onto the Family Machine. The synchronized movements of both devices become increasingly violent, reflecting the distorted dynamics of family and memory.
In "The Great Cleaning Up," the Charwoman's broom/scythe ritualistically fells the oldster-students, while the Somnambulist Prostitute recites a dark nursery rhyme. Characters from Tumour Brainiowicz engage in a quarrel, leading to a lesson on Prometheus. The class's chaos crescendos with the word "camel" repeated in various tones, culminating in an invitation from the Old Woman Behind the Window for an "Outing," transitioning the old characters into a slow-motion promenade around their haunted desks.
Metamorphosis and Funeral Procession
In Part 2, "Scheming with Emptiness" draws from Tumour Brainiowicz, prompting a transformation in the dead class. This change, however, is superficial, revealing the persistent duality of life and death. As the students' reminiscences gain prominence, the action fades into an exit, only to re-enter as a funeral procession, complete with the Old Man Repeater distributing obituaries. The scene morphs into a "Simultaneous Orgy," blending elements of Tumour Brainiowicz with the dead class's dialogue, leading to a mock colonial expedition stimulated by the Stranger Green.
Final Act of Absurdity
The expedition dissolves as the Woman with the Mechanical Cradle moves center stage, subjected to ridicule and garbage from her peers. Transitioning into Part 3, she sings a Yiddish lullaby, accompanied by the Charwoman's ritualistic corpse washing. A bizarre exchange between the Woman and the Old Man in the Loo ensues, devoid of comprehensible meaning. Meanwhile, the class attempts to uncover the cradle's mystery, eventually revealing two wooden balls, emblematic of life's absurdity.
The performance builds to a frenzied climax as the Charwoman transforms into a chorus girl, the Beadle echoes the Austrian anthem, and the movements of the characters become increasingly automatic. The cradle's rattling persists, a haunting reminder of the inescapable cycle of life and death. The performance concludes as applause disrupts the séance-like ambiance, leaving an indelible impression on the audience as the veil between reality and theatrical abstraction fades.
Style and Technique
The innovative theatrical piece The Dead Class challenges conventional notions of dramatic presentation by employing a mix of fragmented texts, surrealist elements, and symbolic imagery. Created by Tadeusz Kantor, the production incorporates the works of Polish avant-garde writers in a way that transcends traditional narrative structures. Kantor's unique approach illustrates the futility of representing dramatic texts through standard theatrical means, using a blend of visual, auditory, and performative techniques to convey its themes.
Fragmentation and Influence
The Dead Class is constructed from disparate pieces of text and imagery derived from three renowned Polish avant-garde writers: Witkiewicz, Gombrowicz, and Schulz. These literary figures contribute to the performance not through direct adaptation but as a form of artistic homage. Kantor's choice of these particular writers reflects the historical and thematic depth of the production. Witkiewicz, known for his surreal and absurdist plays, has a profound influence, with Kantor invoking his spirit by naming his theater Cricot 2, a nod to the original Cricot theater that featured Witkiewicz's work. This connection allows for a timeless and placeless experience, particularly visible in the doubling of characters from Witkiewicz's play Tumour Brainiowicz.
Imagery and Visual Metaphors
The imagery in The Dead Class is equally crucial, drawing on the works of Gombrowicz and Schulz to create a visual tableau that communicates more than words alone could. Schulz's "The Pensioner," with its protagonist returning to a long-forgotten schoolroom, provides a poignant visual motif. Meanwhile, Gombrowicz's Ferdydurke lends itself to the symbolic fragmentation of body parts and schoolboy antics, reinforcing the thematic undercurrents of isolation and absurdity. These images serve as echoes within the production, gradually absorbed into the larger mosaic of Kantor's creation.
The Role of the Director
Kantor's presence throughout the performance is a deliberate choice to underscore his ownership and control over the theatrical experience. By remaining onstage to orchestrate every aspect of the show—from musical cues to actor movements—he shatters any illusions of autonomy within the narrative. The performance is dynamic, with its sequence and actions subject to change, reflecting Kantor's artistic vision and the fluidity of memory and time.
Actors as Aesthetic Objects
A defining feature of Kantor's work is the treatment of actors as puppets or marionettes, reducing individual characterization in favor of visual spectacle. This approach transforms the actors into elements of a living painting, contributing to a broader aesthetic tapestry. The juxtaposition of actors and puppets emphasizes the thematic core of the play, with the old men of the dead class clad in black bowlers, their vacant stares evoking a sense of visual rather than narrative significance.
Objects and Their Symbolism
In Kantor's theatrical world, objects possess equal importance to human performers. Desks, books, and mechanical constructs like the Family Machine and Mechanical Cradle are integrated into the visual landscape, symbolizing life's cyclical nature. These objects act as metaphors for transformation and destruction, their kinetic presence mirroring the inexorable passage of time. The repetitive motions of these machines serve to highlight the inherent cruelty and irony within the life-and-death cycle.
Sound and Atmosphere
Sound design plays a pivotal role in shaping the emotional landscape of The Dead Class. The use of music, sound effects, and voiceovers creates a rich auditory backdrop that contrasts and complements the visual elements. Music can dominate the stage, as seen with the "Waltz Françoise," which casts a trance-like spell over the performers until abruptly halting, leaving them disoriented. This manipulation of sound reflects the performance's thematic exploration of uncertainty and instability.
Disrupting Conventional Theater
Ultimately, Kantor's performance of The Dead Class is a radical departure from conventional theater. By abstracting and rearranging traditional theatrical components, Kantor places actors, texts, and objects on an equal footing. His directorial interventions, whether through orchestration or disruption, ensure that the audience remains acutely aware of the performance's constructed nature. This deliberate deconstruction emphasizes the personal and collective pasts being unearthed—Kantor's "dramatic séance"—and challenges viewers to reconsider the boundaries of theatrical art.
