Odyssey Theatre Ensemble to Present Marek Probosz in NORWID'S RETURN
Performances will take place on October 5 and 6.
Odyssey Theatre Ensemble will bring back Polish American actor and director Marek Probosz for a limited, two-performance engagement of Norwid’s Return (Powrót Norwida), the award-winning monodrama by Kazimierz Braun that features music by Mozart, Chopin, Satie and Szymanowski. A dynamic collision of words and sounds between an actor and a pianist exploring the raw genius of Cyprian Kamil Norwid, one of Poland’s greatest writers of the 19th century, Probosz’s unique solo portrayal was the recipient of the “Best New York Premiere” award at New York’s 2022 United Solo Festival.
A keen thinker and fervent moralist, Norwid’s work only gained world recognition long after his death. Classical music by the great composers, performed by pianist Łukasz Yoder, illuminates the Norwidean darkness and the complexity of his mind.
An actor, director, screenwriter, author and producer, Probosz’s film and television career includes roles in Polish, Czech, German, French, Italian and American productions and coproductions. He is best known for his daring portrayal of cinema legend Roman Polanski in the Warner Bros. film Helter Skelter, and for the award-winning television movie The Death of Captain Pilecki in which he starred as one of the greatest heroes of the 20th century, Polish army officer Witold Pilecki who volunteered for a secret undercover mission at Auschwitz in order to build a resistance organization among the prisoners. Locally, Probosz received accolades for the role of Odysseus in Philoktetes at the Getty Villa. His work has been honored numerous times, most recently with the “Outstanding Pole Abroad Award” in the Culture category (USA 2023); a lifetime achievement award, the Modjeska Prize (Los Angeles 2022); a lifetime achievement award, The Pola Negri-POLITKA (Lipno, Poland 2022); and the Golden Owl (the Polish Diaspora “Oscar”), in the film category (Vienna, Austria 2018). Since 2005, Probosz has been an adjunct associate professor in the UCLA Department of Theater Film and Television, teaching film and theater acting.
Łukasz Yoder has performed extensively on both coasts of the United States, in Europe and in Puerto Rico. He is a grand prize winner of the Lansum International Music Festival, and has won top prizes at the Beverly Hills National Auditions; Claudette Sorel International Competition in Fredonia, New York; Classics Alive National Auditions; and The Kosciuszko Foundation’s National Chopin Competition in Washington, DC.
Norwid’s Return Is performed in Polish with English supertitles.
Photo credit: Zosia Zaleska-Bobrowski
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