blog post by Rosie Dutton
‘In the cauldron boil and bake an owlets wing’ is a staged play reading written by writer, director, performer and actor Jakub Snochowski. This production dives us into the familiar world of Shakespeare, but with a fresh new element as Shakespeare lovers, we’ve never really seen.
Originally written and performed in Polish, Jakub Snochowski has brought his piece international, meaning us UK lovers of Shakespeare get to experience his art too.
So, some context for you, the production centers around ‘Eugene Schieffelin’ an American Ornithologist who is in love with Shakespeare’s works, goes on a mission to find and relocate every bird mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays which are not native to America. However, disaster hits when the US falls victim to a plague of a large proportion of birds. US farmers are infuriated, and the question remains, who is at fault? The Starlings, Eugene or Shakespeare himself?
Jakub combines themes of nature, humanity and literature perfectly and really gets us thinking about human’s role within our world.
This performance will have you hooked with excitement but will also have you following wondering thoughts; why do humans believe they have more power over nature? Why does Eugene believe he can move a species and not truly look at the consequences?
Jakub has been told his performance is influential and ‘touching’ so why not a better time to not only enjoy Shakespeare but be educated on humans’ role in the world.
I interviewed the writer, Jakub and when asked why he wanted to bring his piece to the UK he said he asked himself ‘Is there a chance it can make it outside?’. Outside of Poland and become international and the reading has done exactly that.
With amazing reviews, the piece was given two awards for ‘involving Shakespeare in an ecological scandal showing human impact on ecosystem’ (yorkshakes). So, this performance is for everyone. Shakespeare lovers, climate activists and any community.
In the Cauldron Boil and Bake an Owlet’s Wing, by Jakub Snochowski (POLAND)
Tuesday April 25, 6:00 pm
StreetLife Hub, 29-31 Coney Street, YO1 9QL
Tickets are free but places must be booked as numbers are limited. Book here
European Reading in Performance
The first of a series of three staged play readings of European texts that are inspired or influenced by Shakespeare or are by writers roughly contemporary to him.
All are in new English translations, which are receiving their first performances, and all three are being heard in the UK for the first time in any language.