A play on Poland's techno history is touring theatres

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A new play drawing on the history of techno music in Poland is touring theatres over the coming months.

‘Techno Rzeczpospolita’, or ‘Techno Republic’ in English, is the work of author Magda Koryntczyk, who adapted the play from the 2020 book ‘30 Years Of Polish Techno Scene‘, by veteran ravers Artur Wojtczak, Radek Tereszczuk and Łukasz Krajewski. Across more than 800 pages, the original book offered an anthology of Poland’s techno history in the form of a photo journal.

Having been approached to write the script for the book’s stage adaptation, Koryntczyk initially feared it might be too difficult a job for a playwright, owing to the book’s “multitude of themes” and “encyclopaedic nature,” the writer said.

Koryntczyk continued: “The narrative modes made me afraid that it would be difficult to put together a 90-minute material that wouldn’t be too hermetic, alien to the techno layman, that would just give an efficient story.”

Gradually, however, Koryntczyk became more convinced about the project, working alongside director Marcin Liber, who has been enlisted to oversee the staging of the play, to incorporate what a press release describes as some of the “rather ‘dry’ reportage and documentary fragments” of the source material.

Speaking about the project Koryntczyk said: “The work of a DJ and a playwright are essentially similar. A good set has a good drama, just like a theatrical performance.”

The play premiered at the Wrocław branch of Kraków’s St. Wyspianski Academy of Theatre Arts on 16th September, performed by students of the academy. It will be presented at other locations through October and November. You can find more information here.

Watch a trailer below.

Revisit DJ Mag’s 2019 feature on how Poland’s radical DIY club scene became an international rave haven, here.