
Concept, direction, choreography and performance
Michał Przybyła, Dominik Więcek
Music
Przemek Degórski
Dramaturgical help
Anna Królica
Awards
The performance is a winner of the 2nd Competition for the Best Independent Theater Performance "The Best Off"! (Jury: Katarzyna Chmielewska, Jacek Hałas, Katarzyna Knychalska, Dariusz Kosiński and Anna Zubrzycki).
Bromance was awarded by the jury of the 54th Kontrapunkt 2019 The Small Theater Review (Jury: Dorota Buchwald, Arkadiusz Buszko, Michał Nogaś)
In the theatrical summary of 2019 by Teatr magazine, Bromance was awarded in the category of the best off theater performance for telling about what constantly drifts beyond official narratives.
BROMANCE
Where are these men, the real ones?
Apparently men should stay physically away from each other.
Apparently, boys and men are not allowed to hold hands.
They are advised not to gently hug or caress in public places.
It’s prohibited for two men to kiss while greeting.
Men should not show emotions and be in close, emotional and physical contacts with each other.
Apparently, the demonstration of feelings by men should be relegated from public and private spaces.
Apparently it is inappropriate.
It's unmanly.
The image of the performance "Bromance" arose from interest in the discourse around the new concept of brotherhood. The idea formulated by Jane Ward and described in "Not Gay. Sex between Straight White Man ".
The performance is an attempt to face the stereotype of a "real man" in order to show many variants of masculinity. Consequently, crossing the boundaries of the stereotype and redefining male identity, seen in a broader aspect and not excluding behaviors diverging from the learned norm.
We are looking for an answer to the question of how to give men an informal right to express affectionateness or sentimentality in a public space, without worrying about being accused of being ridiculous, or having to listen to critical remarks about unmanly behavior.
During the creative process of the performance, we returned to our experiences and memories. We dissected from the memory, discourse and observation, a movement piece related to touch, tenderness, but also expression of emotional closeness present between men in friendly relationships and then we subjected it to humanization.
We collided various scenes with each other what allowed us to diagnose the male ways of creating emotional closeness and intimacy.
The performers focus on situations where men disown certain gestures and behaviors in fear of both being excluded and exceeding the limits of normativity.
Is bromance, not characterized with something negative, possible in out society?
"Bromance raises an important topic of social taboo about relationships between men. It claims the rights to qualities and feelings marginalized by normative categories of masculinity - to allow sensitivity, sentimentality, delicacy, which were somehow erased from the image of a "real man". (...) In addition, the creators managed to perfectly balance the perspective: encourage serious reception without pathos and raise a wider problem without reaching for generalizations or moralizing.
Bromance is a performance that does not judge and does not give demands from a viewer a choice; it does not create categories, but opens existing ones. The narration allows us to look at the stories of two people and - perhaps - to find our own in their individual experiences."
- Regina Lissowska, dance POLAND