The virtuoso of the European theater and opera, Krzysztof Warlikowski, will present “Elisabeth Costello. “Seven Lectures and Five Fables with a Moral” in Poznań – a performance produced by Nowy Teatr, inspired by the work of Nobel Prize winner John Maxwell Coetzee. This summer, only viewers in Athens, Barcelona and the Festival d’Avignon will see the performance.

The figure of the writer Elizabeth Costello first appeared in 1999, when John Maxwell Coetzee was invited to give two lectures at universities in the United States. Costello, as a literary figure, slowly gained her own separate biography, and in 2003 Coetzee devoted a separate novel to her, entitled “Elizabeth Costello”.

Elizabeth Costello is not just a fictional literary heroine. She became Coetzee’s artistic and life alter ego, who used her as his voice on many philosophical, ecological, social and existential issues. Costello speaks out on the fate of animals, social inequalities and the exclusion of the elderly and disabled. She can be considered a kind of calling voice or dybbuk that maniacally returns to its creator.

Krzysztof Warlikowski, known for introducing Elizabeth Costello to his performances, this time he devotes the entire show to her. The choice seems very logical, considering how many times he invited Elizabeth into his theatrical world. The character of Costello appeared in five of his plays: in some under her own name, in others she was voiced by other characters.

The premiere of the play “ELIZABETH COSTELLO. J.M. COETZEE” promises an evening of theater at the highest world level. Do not miss that unique event!

Tickets will go on sale on July 15, 2024.