‘Operas and Shakespeare productions were two polar opposites in Sofia Wierchowicz’s theatre work. The former, dominated by the character of the music, impressed with the lightness of scenery, airy characters, grace – and often humour – of costumes, baroque and opulence of fabrics, or a playful graphic shortcut. With the fantastically-shaped dresses and coats, peacock shades of the set design, bird-like bead masks, and hats, the dancers and singers seemed to be floating in mid-air, soaring above the stage along with the sounds of the music.
Wierchowicz’s renditions of Shakespeare plays were dominated by the element of earth. Overwhelmed by it, the protagonists, as carnal as it gets, seemed to be desperately trying to break free from the prison cells of their bodies, yet would usually diminish under the overpowering burden of the matter. This universe, too, was had bird-like attributes, flying on the wings of dresses and coats. Women would gracefully wear little, pigeon heads, while men flexed their feathered arms and torsos. This time, gravitation would always prove absolutely merciless, prohibiting anyone from rising above the ground. In her ‘Shakespeares’ Zofia Wierchowicz would persistently explore the dark aspect of earth that casts a shadow over human corporeality and spirituality, bringing about decay, dilemma, and inevitability of death, symbolising the end, the finality of all forms of existence without promising any new ones. This brutality of matter that defined all of her Shakespeare productions – annihilated all the hopes, longings, and endeavours undertaken by her struggling protagonists.’
(Ewa Dąbek-Derda, Pośród nielotów)
