“Island of Eatopia” is a culinary-travel-crime-revolutionary play for children and youth inspired by “Jadłonomia” – a series of incredibly popular Polish vegan cookbooks written by Marta Dymek, and the philosophy of plant-based cooking which the author promotes. It is a play that encourages green activism in the area of your own plate and your own world.
The protagonist of the adventure-thriller story, drawing from the tradition of Japanese anime, is a girl called M. who faces a dangerous monster, the blackness that threatens the entire world, especially the adults. When the monster appears in the heroine’s life, everything changes. The stake here is the life and health of her nearest and dearest. Will the girl find the secret recipe for healing the world?
„Island of Eatopia” is a play about changing the way we think. But since thinking itself is not enough, it is also about the need to act. Full of humour and danger, plot twists and bitter laughter, the production invites the audience to a world in which children and youth is being talk to seriously, without pretending that the world is better than it actually is. A comic book-like story about the little revolutionary encourages children and adults to reflect together on what we can do in order to live healthier, more responsibly, and with a better future of the planet, its people, and non-human beings in mind. A play about responsible eating challenges the audience to a shared task of caring for the world which requires healing and an urgent intervention – ecological, ethical, as well as culinary.
“Island of Eatopia” is yet another production prepared by Maciej Podstawny and Dorota Kowalkowska for the purpose of strengthening agency in children and youth, and the need for intergenerational education through theatre. Previous plays made by this team, “Greta and the last whale” or “The Snow Queen” gained recognition of the audiences and numerous awards for art addressed to the youth. This time, the creative duo invited playwright Jan Czapliński to collaborate on the script. The inspiration for the work includes of course and primarily Marta Dymek’s series of “Jadłonomia” books, as well as “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, and “Spirited Away” by Hayao Miyazak.
