The three-day event brought aviation professionals from all over Europe to Poland. The hosts wished to share with the conference attendees the true spirit of the industrial history of Lodz. An event of this rank? In our home town? We had to be part of it.
The reception that included the premiere of the show, to paraphrase the words of its director, an eclectic sonic postcard, took place on the premises of the EC1 post-industrial estate. The Machinery Hall and its surroundings were transformed into the sidewalks of the nineteenth-century Łódź. Actors, dancers, musicians, make-up artists, sound engineers - dozens of highly passionate people were committed to this project to recreate ambience worthy of the 'Promised Land'.
It is worth highlighting how rare an event it was, produced to mark the Routes Europe conference. Our performance was not just about singing, but also about acting and literally getting into character. In full make-up, dressed in gray coats and matching headgear, for half an hours, we had been transformed into a group of true Łódź factory workers.
With all the beautiful singing reminiscent of the musical, the accompaniment to the lead vocalists, to birdsong, imitating the cogs and gears of factory machinery, and chanting a powerful message to the amorphous masses of working class people, the whole thing left us feeling like total artists.
Certainly, we were not the only performers: actors-singers, dancers, orchestra - all of us together forged a spectacular show. Also, the entire entourage including make-up artists, costume designers, sound and lighting engineers allowed both us and the spectators to really feel the incredible atmosphere. Last but not least, our conductor - music writer, choreographer, and director - a combination that lay at the heart of this superb performance.
The journey to this achievement was rather unusual as our participation in the Awakening was somewhat linked to the last year's AChTUL's anniversary celebrations. The Gala Concert, which took place in the Boiler Room of the Scheibler Power Plant in Łódź last May, was conducted by an actor from Łódź - Adam Mortas, the author of the show's libretto, and also one of the actors in the leading roles.
Despite the fact that the the parts for the choir were very demanding, that we spent hours and hours in extra rehearsals and meetings to discuss the repertoire and its interpretation, to incorporate the feedback we got to improve our performance, despite the grueling 7-hour dress rehearsal and the extreme complexity of the whole endeavor, we created something that we do not hesitate to describe as a triumph. We would welcome the opportunity to do it again taking on the roles of the Łódź working people. Only time will tell. Keep your fingers crossed!
This was the second time this year that AChTUL had performed at an international conference. In February, the ensemble performed in Warsaw during the IAESTE 2023 Annual Conference.