little

The performance “Little” tells the story of an adolescent boy coming of age. The physical changes he undergoes, along with the formation of his emerging identity, take place during the period of political transformation in Poland. On one hand, the protagonist experiences the early stages of individualism and a sense of limitless possibilities coming from the mythical West; on the other hand, he is confronted with the greyness of 1990s Poland, marked by Catholic humility.

 

Faced with these two conflicting narratives, the protagonist not only tries to answer the question of who he is, but also confronts a new role: becoming a man. Without a clear model to follow, he constructs his masculinity mainly through messages defining what he is not supposed to be. A growing sense of misfit begins to emerge between him and the surrounding reality. The more he tries to adapt, the more frustrated he becomes, leading to uncontrolled outbursts of anger.

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He finds calm in music, specifically in “Music for the Jilted Generation” by The Prodigy, which appeared in Poland in 1994 and became, for many subcultures, a shared space of rebellion.

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In the performance, the creators explore this historical moment and its impact on the upbringing of boys, with particular emphasis on mechanisms of shame.