„Lungs”, dir. Patryk Warchoł, Wilam Horzyca Theatre (Toruń, Poland)

About the performance

“Do you want to have a baby?”
He asked her in the children’s section at IKEA.

A question asked during a shopping trip sets off a chain of events that will change the couple’s lives forever. Arguments, breakups, passion, and sex — all told with warmth and tenderness. The audience witnesses an intimate conversation between two educated, sensitive middle-class individuals, doing their best to make the right choices.

Lungs is a direct, clear, fast-paced, and witty play, and one of its important themes is love. It was written by the acclaimed British author Duncan Macmillan, who asked himself the same questions as his characters: Do we love each other less today? What vision of love does contemporary culture offer us?

The director on the performance

“I want Lungs to let us breathe; to give its protagonists a chance to show the beauty of love — something we so often feel is missing. After all, artists merely hold up a mirror to reality,” says the director, Patryk Warchoł.

“I think that in relationships today, there’s an increasing tendency to focus on fulfilling our own desires and needs. And—as one of the lines in our play says—there are no ideals, and we’re not going to find any. Ivan Vyrypaev once wrote, ‘Love is two people; it means I’m responsible for your love.’ I understand that as paying attention to the other person, being willing to give way, to compromise” adds Patryk Warchoł.

Production photos

phot. Ewa Borowska

About the artist

Patryk Warchoł — Director

As a director, I focus on creating socially engaged theatre. I have independently directed, among others:

• „Requiem for a Dream” (2023, Aleksander Zelwerowicz Theatre Academy in Warsaw) – presented in the repertory of the Theatre Academy. The performance was created in cooperation with the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology and explored the problem of drug addiction in contemporary Warsaw.
• „The End of the World” (2023, Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Olsztyn) – created as part of an awarded artistic residency. The performance included creative collaboration with high school students and retired actors.
• „Mother” (2024, Aleksander Zelwerowicz Theatre Academy in Warsaw) – a Polish-Belarusian production. For this work he received the ZAIKS Award at the 13th Young Directors’ Forum (the most important Polish competition for young theatre directors) and the Grand Prix of the jury chaired by Patrice Pavis at the international Tbilisi International Student Theater Festival.
• „Queenless” (2024, Komuna Warszawa) – based on the bestselling novel by Mira Marcinów. The performance explored codependency in mother–daughter relationships and was presented at Komuna Warszawa (the most important Polish centre for alternative theatre) and at Collegium Nobilium Theatre. In 2024 it received a grant from the Theatre Institute, thanks to which it will be shown in 12 towns across Poland.
• „Everything for Sale” (2024, Aleksander Zelwerowicz Theatre Academy in Warsaw) – based on Andrzej Wajda’s film of the same title. It addressed the experiences, fears and hopes of young actors finishing the Academy and entering the job market. The performance was presented at the 14th Young Directors’ Forum.
• „Lungs” (2025, Wilam Horzyca Theatre in Toruń) – based on the play by Duncan Macmillan.
• „The Writer’s Sisters” (2025, Stefan Żeromski Theatre in Kielce) – a performative reading of Renata Głasek-Kęska’s play, combining professional actors with high school students. The reading will be repeated in November this year.
• „Across Galicia. A Few Stories” (2025, Ludwik Solski Theatre in Tarnów) – based on my own script, exploring the forgotten heritage of Polish Galicia in the context of Polish–German–Jewish relations.
• „All’s Good between Us” (2025, Współczesny Theatre in Warsaw) – the production is an award of the first edition of a competition for emerging directors. Based on the play by Dorota Masłowska, the most important Polish playwright of her generation.
• „Ellen Babić” (2026, Wybrzeże Theatre in Gdańsk) – in preparation, premiere scheduled for February 2026. The performance explores the problem of pedophilia in the teacher–student relationship, based on the text by Marius von Mayenburg.

During my studies, I collaborated and created workshop projects under the guidance of leading Polish theatre directors, including Jan Klata (Director of the National Theatre in Warsaw), Maja Kleczewska (Director of the Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw, Silver Lion at La Biennale di Venezia), Krzysztof Garbaczewski and Piotr Cieplak.

I also participated in workshops and masterclasses with, among others, Grzegorz Jarzyna (former director of TR Warszawa), Patrice Pavis, Giorgos Zamboulakis, Frank Behnke, and Tinatin Katamashvili.

I also worked as a dramaturgical consultant in productions such as:

• „I Wanted to Be” (2021, Powszechny Theatre in Łódź) – awarded Best Performance at the 16th Katowice Comedy Carnival.
• „Nights and Days” (2022, Wilam Horzyca Theatre in Toruń) – received both ensemble and individual awards at the 60th Rzeszów Theatre Meetings.
• „Don Quixote” (2023, Ludowy Theatre in Kraków).
• „Romeo and Juliet is Not Dead” (2023, Wybrzeże Theatre in Gdańsk) – presented at the 27th Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival.
• „Provincial Actors” (2024, Ludowy Theatre in Kraków).
• „Titanic” (2024, Wilam Horzyca Theatre in Toruń) – opening performance of the 63rd Rzeszów Theatre Meetings.
• „The Deluge” (2025, Wybrzeże Theatre in Gdańsk) – to be adapted for Polish Television Theatre in February 2026.

Reviews

A lot happens in this story on the level of language itself, which is why I’m glad that the director and his team chose not to overload Lungs with excessive stage effects. The performance flows smoothly from scene to scene, making creative use of space and building minimalist yet striking images of raw beauty.

Take a deep breath, because this isn’t one of those familiar visions we’re surrounded by — the ones flowing at us from films, books, and songs on the radio. The stories that are supposed to end perfectly, with love triumphing over every obstacle. This is not one of those tales that exist only in an unreal world — a construct of imagination and expectation that later gets drilled into our minds.

Patryk Warchoł turns this material into a captivating, character-driven play for a wide audience. He makes excellent use of the unconventional stage space, transforming it at will — into an ordinary apartment, a nightclub, or a hospital corridor. He skillfully incorporates video, but above all, he gives the cast room to truly shine.

About the Festival

Contact & Information

If you have any questions or would like to watch the recording of the performance, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Set Design Package

Backstage from the photo shoot

Podcast (in polish, english transcript below)