Polish theatre director and lecturer at the National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow, Michał Borczuch, conducted an intensive five-day seminar for directing students and actors of the Klaipėda Faculty. During the workshop, participants analyzed and freely interpreted selected episodes from Thomas Mann’s novel The Magic Mountain, approaching the text from contemporary, personal, and collective perspectives.
Introducing his working methodology, Borczuch emphasized that in such a short seminar the literary text functions not as a final goal but as a creative impulse:
“Reading and analyzing Mann’s entire novel is, of course, always useful, but within such a short seminar The Magic Mountain becomes a pretext and a provocation. Working with individual excerpts allows us to reach completely unexpected, unplanned territories.
The seminar focused on atmosphere-building, the actor’s presence on stage, the staging of inner monologue, the relationship between thought and action, and the director’s craft—from rehearsal preparation to collective creation. Students worked with selected fragments of the novel, contextualizing them through contemporary socio-political experiences, personal memory, and reflections shaped by the pandemic period.
Participants highlighted the intensity and openness of the creative process. Director Monika Steponavičiūtė noted that “each day brought new discoveries, and every piece of feedback transformed the existing miniature,” while also acknowledging the challenge posed by the scope and thematic richness of Mann’s novel. Director Jurgita Rudėnaitė emphasized the value of theoretical lectures on directing practice and rehearsal planning, as well as the freedom to experiment creatively. Actress Agnė Virkutytė stated that the workshop offered “a different approach to staging inner monologue, connecting thought and action, and activating literary material.” Actress Emilija Žuravliovaitė described the seminar as a meaningful experience:
“Although it was primarily aimed at directors, as an actress I take away an openness to not-knowing and a reminder that the most important part of the process is searching.”
While participants agreed that five days were insufficient for a comprehensive prose adaptation, the seminar was widely described as an inspiring and significant professional impulse, encouraging the development of an individual theatrical language.
Michał Borczuch (born 1979 in Kraków) is a Polish theatre director, a graduate of the Ludwik Solski Academy of Dramatic Arts. He debuted in 2005 at the Stary Theatre and assisted Krystian Lupa on The Magic Flute (Theater an der Wien, 2006). He also worked with Patrice Chéreau through the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative and was three times nominated for Paszport Polityki.
Borczuch is known for his personal, ironic theatre, focused on intimacy, weakness, and everyday life rather than grand narratives. He often collaborates with non-professional performers, including autistic people and socially excluded children (Lepiej tam nie idź, Paradiso). His notable productions include Lulu, Werther, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Metaphysics of a Two-Headed Calf, and Apocalypse. Critics praise his unique work with actors and his ability to create surprising, emotionally exposed theatrical worlds.
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