A Living Proof
Historic Encounters in NYC
Dear CITD Community,
I hope this finds you warm and energized in this winter of discontent. As we in the States stay in solidarity with our friends in Minnesota and throughout our home country, we continue to hold strong our connections abroad.
In January, CITD brought an historic delegation of Poland’s leading theatre artists to NYC for the 2026 edition of the Under the Radar Festival (UTR)—an exchange many years in the making. It was filled with astonishing moments.
The visit marked a high point for LINKAGES: Poland, a long-term initiative to cultivate a new generation of relationships between U.S. and Polish theatre artists. LINKAGES has brought nearly 50 U.S. artists to Poland. Welcoming leading Polish artists to the U.S. in return — artists we have come to know through intimate, ongoing meetings — felt both meaningful and long overdue. They represent some of the most innovative voices of their generation, and it was rare to have them together in one place: Jakub Skrzywanek, Jolanta Janiczak, Weronika Szczawińska, Małgorzata Wdowik, and Michał Zadara.
Over the course of a jam-packed week, the delegation moved across NYC, experiencing performances, discussions, and intimate encounters with colleagues from across the US. Their schedule included the essential UTR Symposium, featuring a special presentation from Polish director Michał Zadara; a gathering hosted by Jim Nicola at New York Theatre Workshop; the always profound NYC convening of Georgetown’s Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics; and an intimate brunch at board member Daniel Basila’s home. The group saw a wide range of work across multiple venues, concluding with Try/Step/Trip, a performance exploring incarceration with nuance and humanity through dynamic hip hop-inspired musical and step choreography.
A Surprising Affirmation
The visit culminated in an event hosted by UTR specifically for the delegation, moderated by Peter Marks and Maria Manuela Goyanes. Both had traveled previously to Poland on CITD trips and spoken about how these life-changing experiences reshaped their thinking on theatre. Their moderation brought that history and energy into the room, and we are deeply grateful to them for leading the conversation and to UTR for making the event possible.
At the end of the evening, an audience member asked the artists how they had helped overturn eight years of authoritarian rule in Poland. The Polish artists’ response did not focus on Poland. Instead, they spoke directly of the United States:
“We learned from you how to fight for civil rights,” said Jakub Skrzywanek. “We want to remind you of what has already happened. For example, very close to here, ACT UP at St. Patrick’s Cathedral was one of the most important performative statements in the history of the world.”
Weronika Szczawińska added, “I want to remind you about your great tradition of radical political theatre and art. I’m thinking about the Living Theatre, Judith Malina, Reza Abdoh and the company Dar A Luz. Memory works in mysterious ways. You can choose your tradition. Radical American art is something I look up to. You already have it.”
Jakub continued, “The question is how fast you will wake up and start trying to do that again. In Poland, it took us a long time. I hope in the United States it will be shorter.”
Reminding Americans of our own country’s extraordinary history of artistic activism lit up our brains and hearts in a way many of us hadn’t felt in a long time.
Connecting for the Long Term
Our founder Philip Arnoult often said, “When we meet each other, we are changed.” That belief is at the heart of CITD’s mission, and came alive throughout this delegation. Polish director Weronika Szczawińska put it this way: “[this trip] was a living proof that culture is nourished by long-term connections, and by time, and there are no shortcuts to that.”
The roots of our historic encounter at UTR stretch back decades, all the way to Philip’s work in Poland in the 1970’s, then to many CITD delegations at Polish festivals beginning in the ‘90s, and more recently to the pandemic when we launched LINKAGES: Poland to engage a new generation. Along the way, we built a dialogue with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute (IAM), the cultural arm of the Polish government, which stepped up to generously support the UTR visit. They were encouraged by director Jakub Skrzywanek, who first suggested to me and UTR producer Sami Payne the possibility of a deeper exchange at Under the Radar--while we were all together at the Vaba Lava Festival in Estonia!
These “big moments” don’t happen overnight. They are the result of years of showing up, returning to conversations, and continuing to nurture the seeds until conditions are right. I’m excited to see what unfolds from this trip over the coming year, and five years from now, and thirty years from now.
We are deeply grateful to everyone whose curiosity and openness made this exchange possible: Peter, Maria, Jim, Daniel, Małgorzata Semil, Jarod Hanson, the LAB, IAM, the entire Under the Radar team, NYTW, and a special thanks to all the artists who attended events or met with us for conversation. I especially want to thank IAM’s Deputy Director Olga Brzezińska and Program Manager Małgorzata Rapacz, who not only made the trip possible but joined us in New York, underscoring the depth of Poland’s commitment to U.S.–Polish artist relations.
CITD is also fortunate to have incredible donors. I especially want to thank Ben Pesner and the Venturous Theatre Fund, whose support helped us navigate the past few years of transitions, and the Trust for Mutual Understanding, whose long-term commitment has enabled our deep network of relationships with artists across the globe.
A Personal Tribute
Finally, I want to honor someone I met through CITD who profoundly changed me: Nilan, a director and playwright who passed away unexpectedly, shortly before our Polish delegation traveled to NYC.
Nilan traveled with CITD to Poland last spring and participated earlier in our LINKAGES: Ukraine programming. We were already collaborating on future projects with The Drama League where he served as Associate Director. Not having him with us in New York was an absence deeply felt. I know this news is still very raw for those who knew him, but I want to celebrate Nilan as an artist of extraordinary warmth and brilliance, someone who believed deeply in the importance of artists engaging with peers across borders.
The Drama League will be hosting a celebration of life for Nilan on March 14th. Please click here to learn more and to RSVP.
We continue this work in his spirit. Especially now, as isolationist tendencies grow both here and abroad, being together—sharing space, ideas, and curiosity—matters more than ever.
Let us continuing moving into 2026 ready to meet each other, learn from one another, and strengthen the connections needed to change us and the world around us.
In Solidarity,
Brandice Thompson,
CITD Managing Director
Artist-to-artist connection has always been the foundation of CITD’s work, understanding the power of ongoing relationships to transform not only individual artists, but whole theater landscapes. All of our work continues to center on making those connections possible. Please consider donating.