SPARTACUS. Love in the time of plague

Trigger warning: This piece is about suicide. If you have suicidal thoughts or are in a suicidal crisis, please call 116 111.

Pitchforks lean against medical machines. The floor is covered with straw, there are a few tattered mattresses here and there, with people in striped pyjamas on them. Hospital staff are walking around. The whole area is fenced in by metal rods. SPARTACUS. Love in the time of plague depicts 48 hours in the everyday life of two Polish teenagers, who are in a psychiatric hospital for children after a failed suicide attempt.

According to journalist Janusz Schwertner, who revealed a shocking report about the state of child psychiatric units in Poland in 2021, almost 70% of LGBTQIA+ young people have thought about suicide. The young, progressive director Jakub Skrzywanek took Schwertner’s report as the basis for SPARTACUS and also conducted interviews himself with people who are affected and experts, including with young patients and their parents, with the organisation Lambda Szczecin, which represents people from the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as doctors and specialists who work with children and young people with suicidal thoughts. Despair and abuse are followed by a visually stunning spectacle of dance, folk music and costumes made of LGBTQIA+ pride flaggs in the second part, which climaxes with the wedding of a queer couple. SPARTACUS is the fight for every human being’s right to love, self-determination and acceptance, whether young or old. 

We offer for both performances an introduction with director Jakub Skrzywanek and a person from Lambda Szczecin. The introduction will take place in the Hausbar at 17:30. The language is Spoken English.

Jakub Skrzywanek is a director, author and creator of performance installations. As artistic director of the Teatru Współczesny in Szczecin and program curator of the Vaba Lava Theatre in Tallinn, he is an important and progressive voice in Polish theater. Since completing his training, he has staged numerous plays that often incorporate cinematic elements and moving images. His productions focus on themes such as religion, politics and social structures. Jakub Skrzywanek's motivation is not only artistic, but also has a political dimension. He strives to establish a theater that is sensitive to global events. In SPARTACUS. Love in the time of plague also features members of his ensemble from the Teatru Współczesny in Szczecin.