DO NOT PERVERT THE TRUTH!
Marek Cichucki, an actor from Łódź, 5 August 2014 lost his job in the New Theatre in Łódź – officially because of ‘loss of trustfulness’, unofficially – because the director does not want to have in his team ‘another Chazan’. At the end of June this year the actor criticized the text of the play ‘Golgotha picnic’ and left the theatre performance in which he was supposed to take part
ANNA SKOPIŃSKA: – Do you feel like a hero?
MAREK CICHUCKI: – I do not feel like a hero, but I am very glad about what I did. Because I am free. Why? Many people might do it. Many people have a stronger feeling than me that they have a right to do it. Many people have more strength than me, more wisdom than me. I have lived in the shadow of my sin for a very long time. Recently I have thought that this my feeling was like the feeling of Adam after his sin – he hid himself. And we are the same – hidden. Because we did something bad, said something bad, because we live in a bad way. A hero for me is somebody who, being aware of his limitations, is not afraid of getting better. It seems to me that I have managed to get onto this road.
– Other people – could have done it but they didn’t. Are the ‘other people’ actors?
– Yes. As I have already said, the text is mumbling. And many people think so, but do not speak about it…
– They do not speak about it because……..
– Because we are afraid of exposing ourselves to reactions of ‘our professional environment’. But this is variety which probably makes us richer. So, why not to say about it? Saying is one thing and thinking is another thing – is it this variety? No.
– Did you expect such consequences of your protest, that is, that you would be dismissed from work?
– No, I didn’t. it is said that the stage is a place on which you have a right to say everything. Coming to read ‘Golgotha picnic’, these fragments of the text, I understood that in a moment everyone will be able to come to the theatre and force me to do anything. It is said that an actor for acting anything like a nose for sneezing. It is convenient to take on any role. We laugh at people who are protesting because the most important values for them are insulted. But it is us who must be sensitive people. Who are we? – I asked this question to myself. We peresent a text– not even reading or seeing it earlier – we support mumbling. Why? We saw a protest prepared unprofessionally which is called a show or a reading, because those who prepared it suggest – that this is an unfinished ‘masterpiece’. And now maybe when the situation becomes calmer, we will start talking to one another. What kind of theatre do we want? Mumbling? We already have such.
– Do you feel sorry about this course of events?
– I am.
– On internet there appeared a letter of support with signatures of a dozen thousand people. Have your received any votes of support from your professional group?
– Yes, and I thank everyone for them. This is what I can only say about it. I do not want to involve my colleagues in it because I know what the situation is like. We are an environment of individualists and let it be so. We undertake actions or not, with our own face and onto our own responsibility.
– One can also think that you made yourself popular through this action. An actor from Łódź becomes popular or even famous through ‘Golgotha picnic’….
– I didn’t. I ask somebody who thinks so to see my CV. Please check, what my career road looked like – what I did, where and what I worked on. I will also talk about my career road as well, about my faith in God, that I am a sinner, I regret and I want to become better. But I will not go into mud because of my sin. Later one can accuse my of making oneself popular or not.
– But do you know that some people perceive it in this way?
– I do. Therefore, thank you for this question. Let’s start talking about the sense.
– What next? We heard that you are looking for an attorney.
– I meet people who want to help me in this case from the legal side. I thank them for it.
– And what about your career? Are there any propositions?
– I am 53 years old and where there is a sense, my work will be there. I am looking at the future in an optimistic way.
– From the perspective of time – would you protest again? Or do you regret having done it?
– I don’t. I would behave in the same way. What hurts me is that not only in relation to this issue but also to what is happening in the artistic environment. Can you imagine that we are laughing at elderly ladies – devotees did not read this text. But artists who protested against cancelling this spectacle did not read this text either. Artists who were supposed to present this text to people – had not read it, nor had not got familiar with this spectacle which they were going to perform. Therefore I ask: what kind of artists are we? Are we artists at all? I am accused of the behaviour contradictory with the ethical code. But where is the ethics of creators? Where is ethics and professionalism of those who run institutions of culture in Łódź? If they support something which they do not know at all….’Because a stage is a resort on which one can say everything’. Here it is not all about freedom of speech, but about freedom of murmuring and non-professionalism. And there is too much of it on the stage. I do not want it.
– And where is a place for a catholic actor in it, who is a believer and, like doctors, gives his signature under the declaration of faith – in his job?
– A place of every actor is at rehearsals where some things can be explained. Lies, hypocrisy. In this text as well. A fallen angel is scenically and extremely attractive person, from whose behavior does not indicate that he is a deceiver. Even if we do not believe in God, we can start working on the history of the Creator who created the work and said: ‘You have a free will’, but one of the creatures says: ‘We are equal’. No – you have a free will but you cannot be equal with me because I am the Creator. And the Creator repels him. The repelled angel cannot return any more – so he wants to destroy the work of the Creator. We must tell this story to others. Not a fairy-tale – bad God repelled me, and I am suffering. Do not pervert the truth and do not say that God is bad, and the fallen angel is suffering. He has been repelled. Forever. We also fall but we have a chance to raise ourselves. We are even encouraged to do so. I want to raise myself. I thank God and everyone who help me in it.
(AA)
"Niedziela" 33/2014