Description

Since 1991 the group of artists, under a leadership of Luba Zarembi?ska have worked in little town Szamocin (region Wielkopolska, north - west Poland), realizing numerous of artistic and socio-cultural projects, based on local tradition and cultural heritage. This little town, sized around 4000 inhabitants, was an ideal place to start our theatrical work. Far away from big cultural centers and cities we could realize a dream of independent creative place. Beside artistic work we saw the need of animation of cultural life of whole society. We started few programs aimed to arouse local self-esteem and value.

Since 1997, this group have acted as an association, in a ruined building of former railway station in the town. The main activity is amateur theatre, but beside artistic work, the Centre - Theatre "Station Szamocin" is leading socio-cultural projects for neglected children and societies of "post-state-owned farms" villages. All those activities are included in one general project "The Station - Place for Everyone", which has main aim: to create an independent cultural centre away from big cities where every artist amateur or professional, young or experienced, famous or beginner could find chance to create, learn, teach, exchange ideas.

Former use : railway station

Total surface of the site : 256,18 m2

Location : village

Foundation year of the centre : 1997

Type of occupation : we rent the space from Polish State Railways SA

Owner of the building : Polskie Koleje Panstwowe SA- Polish State Railways SA

Infrastructures / Facilities

We dispose of :
 theatrical halls,
 open-theatrical spaces, with very severe conditions, each of 70 m2 .

We have places to sleep, a kitchen and bathrooms.

Our theatre have 24m2 of mobile stage, equipment to provide sound and a few spotlights.

Social and artistic disciplines

 Theatre - amateur actors, creating a numerous spectacles, based on Polish dramaturgy and local history.
The group was awarded and invited to many festivals in Poland and abroad, e.g. main award for spectacle "Confession in the timber" in the Competition for Staging Polish Contemporary Play, organized by Ministry of Culture - 1998. The group bases on the local history, inhabitants remembrances, like in realization of memories of Ernst Toller - "The Street of the Living and The Dead".
Theatre co-operates with foreign artist, realizing international theatrical projects (e.g. "km 14,7" - Spectacle on Rails - 2000 and "Medea./.Wanda" - spectacle on rivers and lakes - 2001 - both based on the theme of tolerance and co-existence of nations.

 Social projects - The Centre "Station Szamocin" is working with children from menaced families and from "post-state-owned farms" villages, leading special socio-artistic workshops.

 Regional education - The Centre is organizing a numerous of meetings, seminars and other events, which have an aim to promote a local heritage and traditions of tolerance to the inhabitants and guests. "Station Szamocin" is also collecting documents, oral memories creating and leading regional lessons in schools, especially about the famous poet Ernst Toller, who was born in Szamocin, to show the example of tolerance and co-existence of Polish, Jews and Germans, before II World War.

 Third sector - since 2000 Station Szamocin is engaged in activities aimed to strengthen Polish nongovernmental organizations.
They are purposed to aware the society of the leaders of cultural and artistic NGO’s, individual creators and animators of local culture, to the problem of participation and common creation of cultural policy of Poland.
By regular meetings connected with workshops and trainings, creator’s environment will be prepared to make conscious efforts to consolidate the whole sector and to create lobbies, which would represent their opinions and stances to authorities of each level.
In the same time, these activities are aimed to deepen the co-operation among the creators and to restore the cultural initiatives to their appropriate place among priorities of the policy of the government. In March 2003 we found non-formal Poland-wide Network of Nongovernmental Cultural Initiatives, which associates over 30 organizations, now.

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Financial support

Station Szamocin is supported by Batory foundation, European Union (Acces program), Open Society Institut in Budapest, Foundation for Poland, Foundation for Polish-Germany Cooperation, Swiss foundation Pro Helvetia, J&S Pro Bono Poloniae, Rural Development Foundation, Academy for the Development of Philantropy in Poland, Foundation of Culture, Office of Marshal Great Poland’s Province, District Starosty, Ministry of Culture, sponsors and professional partners also our personal incomes from accreditations and sold spectacles.

Networks

We are member of polish non-formal Network of Nongovernmental Cultural Initiatives.