Pielgrzymi

Marek Pruchniewski (born 1962) is a relatively new name in Polish theatre life. Trained as an economist, he held various jobs before becoming a successful playwright. He was a salesman in a showroom, a tutor in a school for mentally handicapped children. He currently lives in the village of Krosinek near Mosina, works in the local library and... writes better and better plays. He has already written: "Paris", "Darkness", "A Few Moments", "The Army" (staged at the theatre in Legnica) and "The Story of the Knife", which even lived to see a television adaptation. The theme of the drama "Pilgrims" tempted Pruchniewski for a long time. The inspiration for the play came from an authentic story told to the writer by friends. In one interview, Pruchniewski said: "I knew it was good material for a play, but it took a few years before it was written. In 1999 I attended the premiere of 'Kordian' at the theatre in Legnica, directed by Paweł Kamza. I met the actors and the theatre director there. Earlier we met while working on "Army". And director Jacek Głomb offered me to write a play especially for him. The idea was that it should be a play for the whole troupe. The idea was that it should be a play for the whole theatre company. And that it should be contemporary, that it should happen today and now". The result was Pilgrims. The director of the performance at the Modrzejewska Theatre in Legnica, however, subjected the text to numerous alterations and, as a result, the play appeared on billboards under the title of "The Wedding Once Again". Maciej Dejczer's television production, like its title, is much closer to Pruchniewski's original text.
Near the bus, a group of members of the city's parish gathers, about to embark on a several-week pilgrimage to Rome. The organisers also plan to visit other famous European sanctuaries. Already at the beginning some pilgrims are concerned about the technical condition of the bus. Its owner, however, downplays these concerns. Unfortunately, the bus soon breaks down and the passengers have to wait for hours before they can set off again. This situation will be repeated many times from now on. And it will become more and more troublesome as the heat rises. Soon other problems appear: poor accommodation in the next visited cities and mutual animosity between the pilgrimage participants. Negative emotions, egoism, malice, hypocrisy, gossip, prying and even meanness more and more often come to the surface. The clergymen, who lead the group, are not able to control the conflicted and divided pilgrims. The more so because they also have their own, not trivial problems. [PAT]