You teach us how to lift the dresses
The heroines of the performance You teach us how to lift the dresses, despite having their identities stripped away, deprived of their names and surnames, are full of various feelings and emotions. From love and sexual desires to rage and betrayal. In the songs bravely performed by the actors and actresses from Krakow’s stages, there are echoes of past decades, turbulent history, and politics that have shaped the everyday life of the common man.
The stylizations and costumes, inspired by post-war burlesque, transport us to the atmosphere of the past century. On stage, four women reign—divided by much, but united by even more. With one voice, they paint a timeless portrait of femininity—full of contradictions, strength, and sensitivity.
It’s a musical journey to the past that asks questions about our present. Does the world we live in truly differ from what it once was? Or perhaps the hope for change still flickers in the same melody of life?
Four female characters, distinct personalities whose names we do not know, seem foreign; they could be priestesses, prostitutes, or witches; wronged women living in a terrible time. We observe them in an undefined space as they engage in dialogue with a male character, here portrayed by Krzysztof Cybulski; enigmatic, authoritative, sometimes tender, also impossible to clearly define as a character.
The director plays with personalities, creates them, and gives us nothing on a silver platter. On stage, there are five people, yet we learn the stories of dozens, or even entire communities. The main narrators are women—mothers, abandoned lovers, widows. All speak with one voice, presenting their point of view, telling their stories. They speak in their own language, as and when they want, without losing their self-confidence.
Adriana Markowska, Dziennik Teatralny
Accompanied by music, with a touch of humor and reflection, Teatr KTO subtly provokes, revealing the face of humanity in times of crisis and asking questions about the future of culture… and the fact that it does this masterfully is a whole other story.
Urszula Bienia, Radio Eska
Agnieszka Loranc, E-teatr.pl
„…eroticism blends with lyricism, which in turn connects with a critical diagnosis of the world, with references typical of German theater and the songs of the interwar period, along with explicit erotic content. Alongside the playful smile, there is a serious reflection on the condition of the modern human. These are undoubtedly the strengths of the musical performance.”
Monika Oleksa, Teatr Dla Wszystkich
„Józef 'Żuk’ Opalski created a political performance on a pressing topic: being a woman. I have no idea where he did his research, but it turned out to be credible.”
Maciej Stroiński, E-teatr.pl
Script and direction
Józef Opalski
Translations
Barbara Swinarska, Władysław Broniewski, Ryszard Krynicki, Józef Opalski, Robert Stiller, Witold Wirpsza, Paweł Zarychta
Set design and costumes
Aleksandra Reda
Musical direction
Jacek Bylica
Vocal preparation
Justyna Motylska
Lighting direction
Katarzyna Smożewska
Sound direction
Michał Warmusz
Assistant director, producer
Urszula Swałtek
Cast
Anna Bugajska / Iwona Konieczkowska
Sylwia Chludzińska / Karolina Kazoń
Anna Branny / Aleksandra Konior-Gapys
Bożena Zawiślak-Dolny
Krzysztof Cybulski / Franciszek Muła
Musicians
Agnieszka Bugla-Bylica – violin
Jacek Bylica – piano
Grzegorz Frankowski – double bass
Oleg Dyyak / Andrzej Włodarz – accordion
