About Jubilo

An independent theatre ensemble exploring the space between art and society

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Jubilo is an independent theatre company based in Wrocław, Poland. Since 2011, we have been making theatre where it’s not supposed to exist – in prisons, refugee centres, on the streets, in places the stage usually forgets.

We believe that theatre is an encounter. That music, movement and shared presence can cross barriers that words cannot – social, linguistic, cultural. We work with inmates, people with mental health experience, young people with disabilities, homeless individuals. We don’t do this instead of theatre. We do this as theatre.

Our work follows two paths. The first is artistic research – exploring the body, voice, song and movement. The second is bringing those discoveries into the social sphere, where art becomes a tool for dialogue and every participant gains the right to their own expression.

We collaborate with the Grotowski Institute, theatres and universities across Europe. We create performances, lead workshops and build an international network of prison theatre. But at the root of everything we do lies one conviction – that every voice deserves to be heard.

Unlocking – Theatre in Prison

For many years, in cooperation with the Grotowski Institute, we have been running the Odkluczanie (Unlocking) project, aimed at inmates in closed and semi-open units of prisons in Wrocław and Świdnica.

The project has produced performances that gained recognition in Poland and abroad: the multi-award-winning Odzwierciedlenie (Reflection) (2015, dir. Agnieszka Bresler, Diego Pileggi, Simona Sala), Kain (Cain) (2019, dir. Diego Pileggi), the performative installation Kain In Absentia (2020), Po drugiej stronie/Passage (The Other Side/Passage) (2020), and the multimedia installation Od(g)rodzenie (Re/Birth) (2021).

The project also encompasses theatre workshops for inmates, training programmes for theatre practitioners and educators, and academic research conducted in collaboration with European universities, including Università La Sapienza in Rome and the University of Reading.

Two Paths

Theatrical Research

The first dimension of our work is research in the field of theatre and performance. Actors associated with the company explore and expand their own artistic practice through work with music, songs, movement improvisation and theatrical actions. The company’s approach is rooted in research-based theatre and process-oriented practice, with a particular focus on voice and body techniques, psychophysical actor training and personal expression.

Community

The second strand involves bringing artistic discoveries into the social sphere. Theatrical tools applied in a social context gain a new perspective and are constantly tested against reality. Our activities take the form of long-term workshops – in theatre spaces, in the field, and sometimes directly in the everyday lives of participants.

Since our founding in 2011, we have worked with physically and intellectually disabled young people, adults with mental health experience, Polish and Roma children, homeless individuals, refugees and prison inmates.

International Networks and Partnerships

Since 2013, we have been affiliated with the Grotowski Institute in Wrocław, with whom we develop theatrical research, workshop programmes and performative productions.

Since 2019, we have been a partner in the Freeway project (Creative Europe), carried out together with Teatro dei Venti (Italy), Aufbruch (Germany) and UPSDA (Bulgaria). The project focuses on strengthening theatre practices in prisons, exchanging experience at the European level, and producing and distributing performances created in the penitentiary environment.

We are a member of the Italian National Network of Theatre in Prison (CNTiP) and a founding member of the International Network of Theatre in Prison (INTiP), under the patronage of UNESCO.

European Festival of Theatre in Prison

In 2021, as part of the Freeway project, with the support of the Grotowski Institute and under the honorary patronage of the District Court in Wrocław, we organised the first European Festival of Theatre in Prison – Granice/Borders. The event featured theatre workshops, performances, discussion panels, a photography exhibition and monographic meetings dedicated to the work of companies from across Europe.

From exclusion to expression. From silence to a shout.

Productions and Presentations

In recent years, the company has produced and presented:

  • Po Drugiej Stronie / The Other Side (2021) – co-production: Off-Polska programme, Z. Raszewski Theatre Institute, Ministry of Culture, City of Wrocław, Erasmus+
  • Kain In Absentia (2020) – performative installation
  • Po Drugiej Stronie/Przejście / The Other Side/Passage (2020)
  • Po Drugiej Stronie: koncert na fortepian i ciszę / The Other Side: Concert for Piano and Silence (2019)
  • Odzwierciedlenie / Reflection (2015)
  • Czarna Noc Biały Dzień / Black Night White Day (2015)

Jubilo has presented its work at international festivals and theatre events, including:

  • Wrocław (2016) and Matera (2019) – European Capitals of Culture
  • Iran International Festival of University Theater (2017, Tehran)
  • Dreams Before Dawn (2018, Paris)
  • Festival dei Due Mondi (2018, Spoleto)
  • Retroperspektywy Festival (2020, Łódź)
  • National Festival of Theatre in Prison – Destini Incrociati (2019, Italy)
  • International Conference I Teatri delle Diversità (2019, Italy)

Academic Collaboration

The company collaborates with researchers and universities across Europe, including Università La Sapienza in Rome and the University of Reading, in the field of professional prison theatre research and the role of art in rehabilitation processes.