U.S. premiere 'Operetta' takes Pole position

When the curtain rises on "Operetta," one of four imported international works in this year's Live Arts Festival, it will represent not only an important artistic achievement - the United States premiere of a play by Witold Gombrowicz, one of Poland's most significant playwrights - but also a substantial logistical feat.

" 'Operetta' is by far the biggest show we've ever done - I still can't believe we're doing this," said Nick Stuccio, the festival's producing director. "Even the Polish Cultural Institute said, 'Only you would do this, Nick.' "

Much of the production is being shipped over from Poland, where it was originally staged at the Capitol Theatre, in Wroclaw. For the show's Philadelphia run, English supertitles will appear above the sometimes-nude actors, who will perform the play entirely in Polish. (Stuccio promises that - language gap aside - "Operetta" is "easy to follow, song-driven and totally fun.")

Lighting, sound and pieces of the set are slowly arriving from Poland, and the sizable cast and crew - 48 people all together - are being flown in at a cost of nearly $50,000 for airfare alone. For each person coming from abroad, the Live Arts staff must obtain a visa, petition the Department of Homeland Security and convince the appropriate local union that the artist is offering something unique.

Despite all the headaches, Stuccio insists that it is more than worth it: "We've never done a foreign-language work of this scale," he said. "I just loved it when I saw it."

Each year, in deciding what to produce for Live Arts, Stuccio sees about 100 performances. In 2007, when he first saw "Operetta," it was one of 10 shows that he had attended during a five-day, seven-city stop in Poland.

"I think of our festival as a snapshot of world culture," Stuccio said. "We deserve it here in Philly - just like in Paris, London or anywhere else."

Along with Poland's "Operetta," this year's Live Arts festival includes one show from Austria, "above under in-between," and two from Australia, "Mortal Engine" and "small metal objects."

In "Mortal Engine," a highly complex piece by the Melbourne-based dance company Chunky Move, video, light, sound and lasers respond in real-time to the movements of the dancers, requiring a very particular setup. Stuccio described it as "the most amazing set of technical designs" he had ever encountered.

Chunky Move's stage, which is mounted on a hydraulic lift so that it can shift toward and away from the audience during the show, takes three hours to get ready before each performance and is being shipped over from Australia on a sea crate.

"Often, we'll get a curveball somewhere," said Stuccio. "All it takes is something like the freight to get lost in Malaysia on its way from Sydney, and we're in trouble."

Operetta, directed by Michal Zadara, 7 p.m. Sept. 10-11, 3 and 7 p.m. Sept. 12, 3 p.m. Sept. 13, $25-$30, the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St.

Mortal Engine, by Chunky Move, 7 p.m. Sept. 17, 8 p.m. Sept. 18, 4 and 8 p.m. Sept. 19, $25-$30, the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St.

above under in-between, by Cie. Willi Dorner, 8 p.m. Sept. 11-12, $25-$30, ICE BOX Projects Space, 1400 N. American St.

small metal objects, by Back to Back Theatre, 7 p.m. Sept. 16, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17, 1 and 7 p.m. Sept. 18, 19, 40th St. Field at Penn, 40th Street between Walnut and Locust streets.