Loose Screws

An unprecedented anthology of contemporary Polish drama, Loose Screws brings together nine previously un-translated plays by prominent playwrights who have emerged in rapidly changing postcommunist landscapes. The plays expose ways in which individual and social violence impinge upon one another, disrupt notions of a monolithic Polish identity, and try to find meaning within the post-9/11 global context. This comprehensive collection offers an account of Polish history and politics though plays that range in subject from communism to mental illness, criminal and social violence, and working-class life and globalization. Serving as the cornerstone for the collection, Malgorzata Sikorska-Miszczuk’s Loose Screws examines the ways in which various psychopathologies play themselves out in the private and public spheres in postcommunist Poland. The anthology includes a substantive introduction that situates each play within its historical, political, and theatrical context.

‘Loose Screws is unprecedented and will be vital reading for those interested in both contemporary theatre and Polish post-communist culture, providing a rich and diverse spectrum of dramatic voices. One reservation that often arises when faced with such culturally specific publications is that of their accessibility to those not familiar with the region and its situation. In this superb selection, however, each play seems to complement and illuminate another. The dramatic voices captured here resonate most powerfully together.’—Times Literary Supplement