"She Danced the Charleston" 12.10.2024 Sat. 18.00 - Ursynowskie Centrum Kultury "Alternatywy" - Bareja stage. 

PREMIERE. Duration 60 minut. 


The performance "She Danced the Charleston" is a physical theater and theater of form piece, centered around the mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926. For 11 days, all of England was captivated by her sudden vanishing, and this performance attempts to explore possible scenarios that might explain what happened to her. It raises the question of whether Agatha Christie could have orchestrated her own disappearance.

Beyond the mystery, the performance delves into the feminine aspect of Agatha Christie's character, exploring themes of womanhood and the protagonist's inner journey. Using the metaphor of the "Night Sea Journey," the piece touches on moments of darkness in life, confronting one's own fears and demons, which, according to Carl Jung, are essential for personal growth.

The performance is both physical and humorous, infused with elements of mystery and surrealism. The action takes place in a phantasmagorical space, where the central character, inspired by Agatha Christie, encounters her dreams, demons, and fears, blurring the lines between dream and reality. Thus, the performance becomes not only a criminal mystery but also a deep introspection and reflection on human nature in a state of transition.

Script: Paulina Szczęsna
Performer: Paulina Szczęsna
Music: Paweł Paluch
Set Design: Alicja Siemko
Lighting Design: Jędrzej Skajster




Paulina Szczęsna
An actress, performer, and theater instructor. From 2014 to 2017, she performed on the stages of the Dramatic Theater with the Warsaw Mime Center Theatre. She has participated in numerous projects and performances, primarily in the realm of physical theater, working as an actress, director, and performer in Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Israel. She holds a master's degree in Cultural Studies from UKSW in Warsaw, completed a two-year course in "The Devised Theatre and Performance" at Arthaus.berlin in Berlin, and studied Cultural Diplomacy at Jagiellonian University.

Paulina is a member of several artistic projects and theater groups, including Teatr Mimo, Warsaw Mime Center Theatre, and Idolo Project. She collaborates with the Ciało/Umysł festival as an artistic project coordinator. For many years, she has worked as an acting coach in Poland and abroad, drawing on improvisation techniques and "embodiment" methods inspired by Jacques Lecoq.

In 2018, she led a movement laboratory in Tel Aviv at the Clipa Theater, inspired by the work of Hanoch Levin. That same year, she created her own one-to-one performance "In Between" in Portugal.

Paulina collaborates with Bartłomiej Ostapczuk, the Casbranca collective from Portugal, Lionel Menard, Teatr A3, Leszek Mądzik, Moot Movement Lab, and other artists from Poland and around the world. In 2022, she created her solo performance about Marie Antoinette, titled "Pardonnez-moi, Monsieur."

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