Na pełnym morzu
Na pełnym morzu ("On the high seas") is a Polish play in one act by Sławomir Mrożek (1930–2013)[1]
Contents
The original text
An absurdist tale of survival and democratic decision making, in which we see three men starving on a life raft, who must determine which of them is to become dinner for the other two. One is thin, one is medium, and one is fat. The men employ a hilariously logical series of civil procedures to arrive at a solution.
The Polish premiére production took place in 1961.
Translations and adaptations
Translated into German as Auf hoher See ("On the high seas") by Ludwig Zimmerer.
Translated into English as Out at Sea by (Published in Six Plays by Slawomir Mrozek by Grove Press, 1967)
Translated into Afrikaans as Vlot ter See ("raft on the sea") by an unnamed author, but credited to "Dept. Drama Universiteit Stellenbosch". It was intended for use by the Stellenbosch Drama Department.
Adapted for TV and film a number of times, the first done in 1965.
Performance history in South Africa
1973: Presented in English by the Rhodes University Drama Department, directed by Henry Goodman.
1976: Performed in English by the CAPAB English Company in Cape Town
1979: Performed in Afrikaans as a one-act play entitled Vlot ter See by students of the University of Stellenbosch Drama Department under the auspices of the Libertas Theatre Club in August, directed by Herman Pretorius.
Sources
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na_pe%C5%82nym_morzu
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0610720/?ref_=tt_ov_wr
Theatre programme, 1979.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C5%82awomir_Mro%C5%BCek
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_to_Sea
https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/10007/out-at-sea
Various entries in the NELM catalogue.
Copy of the original typed text, found in the Stellenbosch Drama Department archives in 2022.
Go to ESAT Bibliography
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