"The Carcass" by Richard Corozine, directing by Hanna Sawka, set design by Jan Sawka, opened December 2, 2002 at the STU Krakow Municipal Theater, Krakow, Poland

Renderings of the set design by Jan Sawka

copyright Jan Sawka 2002

This was also my first opportunity to collaborate in the theater with my father, artist Jan Sawka, whose set design work has included work in the Polish avant-garde of the 60’s and 70’s, excellent New York theaters including the Samuel Beckett Theater and the Harold Clurman Theater, and rock and roll sets for bands like the Grateful Dead. My father designed a simple, yet striking set, with the automobile having an insect-like metalwork extension in its back. My father also directed the lighting crew on the lighting and color of the piece. The disturbing, insect-like element of the car is initially invisible to the audience, gradually becoming exposed as the play progresses. At the end of the piece, the most light ever used in the play floods the stage through this metal construction, casting long shadows and lighting up the underpinnings of the theater’s nether areas of metal equipment, fully exposing what appears to be an inhospitable environment. This is ironic, as it is the moment of sunrise, when the night has come to an end. Rather than bringing us a hopeful new day, we find ourselves in a strange and disturbing environment.

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