Polish Production of Sarah Kane's Final Play, 4.48 PSYCHOSIS Opens at the Barbican 3/23

Following critically acclaimed performances as part of the 2008 Edinburgh International Festival the Barbican brings TR Warszawa to bite with a hard-hitting production of Sarah Kane's final work, 4.48 Psychosis. Directed by TR Warszawa's award-winning Artistic Director Grzegorz Jarzyna, this is an uncompromisingly autobiographical approach to Kane's elusive and elliptical prose poem.

The central character, a woman in the throes of a terrifying mental illness, is played with startling vigour by Magdalena Cielecka. Well-known in Poland for her theatre and film roles, including the Oscar-nominated Katyn (2007), she frequently adorns the front covers of Polish glossy magazines. 4.48 Psychosis is performed in Polish with English surtitles.

Grzegorz Jarzyna took the helm at TR Warszawa in 1998 when he was, at the time, the youngest theatre director in Poland. He is credited with reviving the theatre's reputation in the post-Communist era and has programmed an exciting and eclectic body of work including plays by Neil LaBute, Thomas Vinterberg, Martin Crimp, Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde. The company has toured extensively worldwide and at its home in Warsaw it attracts young and vibrant audiences.

POLSKA! YEAR is a 12 month cultural festival aimed at strengthening ties between the UK and Poland. POLSKA! YEAR is comprised of more than 200 projects showcasing the outstanding works and achievements of Polish artists to the British public from the fields of theatre, visual art, music and film. TR Warszawa's 4.48 Psychosis is the final production in the theatre section of festival, which began in July 2009. The theatre programme has included Poland's foremost outdoor theatre company Teatr Biuro Podró?y's productions of Macbeth: Who is that Bloodied Man? and Swiniopolis, Teatr ZAR's Gospels of Childhood, The Triptych and Karbido's award winning, musical spectacle The Table, and played at venues across the UK including the Barbican, National Theatre, Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's and Canterbury Festival.

The cultural programme of POLSKA! YEAR is coordinated by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, a government institution in charge of promoting Polish culture abroad and initiating internationAl Cooperation in the field of culture. It has involved 18 months of preparations including visits to Poland by more than 150 curators, cultural managers, artists and journalists.

The purpose of POLSKA! YEAR is to bring the communities of Poland and the UK closer by strengthening cultural relations and establishing new contacts between artistic institutions, artists and organisers of cultural events. For more information on POLSKA! YEAR, log on to www.PolskaYear.pl.

THERE ARE A LIMITED NUMBER OF PLACES TO REVIEW 4.48 PSYCHOSIS IN WARSAW ON FEBRUARY 12TH - 14TH IN ADVANCE OF THE SHOW OPENING AT THE BARBICAN. FOR MORE DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT THE CORNER SHOP PR.

Listings Information:
4.48 Psychosis
Barbican Theatre, London EC2Y 8DS
Tuesday 23 - Saturday 27 March 2010, 7.45pm (5 performances)
Press night: Tuesday 23 March, 7.45pm
Tickets: £10.00 - £30.00
Performed in Polish with English surtitles
Running time: 60 minutes, no interval
Age guidance: 16+

Post show talk
Date: 26 March 2010

Price: Free to same day ticket holders

Director Grzegorz Jarzyna in conversation with Graham Saunders

Barbican box office: 0845 120 7550
www.barbican.org.uk/bite

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