Cast members in "The Sejny Chronicles," a multicultural production at La MaMa E.T.C. that is part of the Borderlanders festival.
The festival is the result of efforts from the Borderland Foundation, a group in Poland founded by the poet, essayist and social activist Krzystof Czyzewski (pronounced KSHISH-tawf Chi-ZHEF-skee). Mr. Czyzewski, mobilized by the bitter lessons of the ethnic conflict in the former Yugoslavia, has sought to encourage tolerance with art initiatives he has brought to countries like Bosnia, Armenia and Indonesia.
“The Sejny Chronicles,” written and directed by Bozena Szroeder, is based on oral histories handed down by Sejny residents before World War II. It is performed by a cast of largely teenage actors speaking and singing in Polish, Lithuanian, Yiddish and Russian. (Subtitles appear on a screen behind the players.) The cast members — all residents of Sejny — surround a small clay model of the town, and one by one step forward to tell a legend, or re-enact an anecdote from village life, or deliver a folk song. The audience sees a Lithuanian wedding; hears the story of a Jewish girl, Rachel, and her fiancé; is soothed by a Polish lullaby.
The evocation of the Eastern European milieu is vivid, and the fresh-faced performers are almost entirely assured and endearing, never more so than when, toward the end, they disperse amid the audience and each speaks directly to spectators in English. The hourlong show is a modest, gentle expression of cross-cultural appreciation, conveyed by a cast impossible to resist. It’s a humble triumph, but its cause is always well worth fighting for.
By ANDY WEBSTER, New York Times, April 17, 2008
“The Sejny Chronicles” continues through Sunday at the Annex Theater at La MaMa E.T.C., 74A East Fourth Street, East Village; (212) 475-7710, lamama.org.
Yes, Borders Everywhere, but Not a Barrier in Sight
Sept. 29, 2011, 3:58 p.m.
The Polish town of Sejny, at the borders of Poland, Lithuania and Belarus, has always had a rich mix of cultures. Predominantly Jewish before World War II, Sejny (pronounced SAY-nee) embraces Polish, Lithuanian, Belarusian and Romany influences. Today the town’s diversity continues to flourish; its example as a model of coexistence is illustrated in “The Sejny Chronicles,” now at La MaMa as part of the Borderlanders: Finding Their Voice festival in the East Village, a series of events celebrating the region.