PRIMEVAL AND OTHER TIMES

About the show

Olga Tokarczuk ingeniously depicts life in a Polish village, where generations of inhabitants struggle with war, communism, and modernization. You follow how different generations build families, construct homes, and try to survive amid historical and natural forces. Tokarczuk’s story, full of compassion and gentleness, shows how people, animals, trees, and spirits are all part of a cycle of birth, growth, and decay. Director Guy Cassiers is known for his productions in which video plays a major role and in which actors alternate between performing and narrating. At ITA, he previously directed Hamlet versus Hamlet (by Tom Lanoye), The Kindly Ones (after Jonathan Littell), May We Be Forgiven (after A.M. Homes), and Lehman Trilogy (by Stefano Massini). Hotel Modern, a Rotterdam-based collective, is internationally acclaimed for their productions that depict major historical events using live video, miniature sets, and puppets.