UK/Poland Season 2025
The UK/Poland Season 2025 was a diverse programme of over 100 multi-artform events in 40 cities in both countries. In London, the activity was hosted in Hounslow, thanks to the international partnership between Watermans, the British Council, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, and the Polish Cultural Institute.
Learn more about the UK/Poland Season 2025 on the British Council webpage.
Theatre is Freedom | Teatr to Wolność Festival
A new free outdoor theatre festival at Bell Square, brought by Watermans as part of the UK/Poland Season 2025, took place from 5 – 21 September. The festival featured six Polish companies presenting the UK premieres of their work, with three of those companies performing in the UK for the first time.
Bal (The Ball) by Teatr KTO
Friday 5 and Saturday 6 September, Bell Square. FREE
The first performance on the evenings of 5 and 6 September was Bal (The Ball) by Teatr KTO – a performance in which dance told more than words, its rhythm set by choreography moving from the swinging 1930s, through the passionate tangos of the 1950s to the present-day.
DROM (in the footsteps of the Roma) by Teatr Migro
Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 September, Bell Square. FREE
With two performances over the weekend of 6 -7 September in Bell Square, this free 50-minute outdoor production invited audiences to explore the history and culture of the Roma people. DROM brought a poetic and philosophical tale on migration and the story of an ethnic group that inhabits nearly every country in the world, yet remains little understood. Told entirely without words, the axis of the narrative of this show was built on the Roma music from different countries, from lively swing to melancholic violin tunes, from czardas to flamenco.
Lost Dream by Teatr Osmego Dnia
Friday 12 and Saturday 13 September, Bell Square. FREE. UK PREMIERE
The following week featured the UK Premiere of Lost Dream on 12 and 13 September, bringing to life the surreal world of Czech writer Franz Kafka. The performance vividly reimagined characters and scenes from his classic works – The Penal Colony, The Metamorphosis, and The Trial – and brought to life the tensions, fears, and existential unease of Kafka’s writing in a captivating outdoor setting with live music.
Monsieur Charlie by Teatr HOM
Sunday 14 September, Bell Square. FREE. UK PREMIERE
Sunday 14 September saw the UK Premiere of Teatr HOM’s charming physical theatre tribute to the UK’s most loved silent movie star, Charlie Chaplin, famous for films such as The Kid, City Lights and Modern Times. Monsieur Charlie also explored the world of silent cinema, all accompanied by live music.
The Tempest by Teatr Biuro Podróży
Friday 19 and Saturday 20 September, Bell Square. FREE
Teatr Biuro Podróży gave Shakespeare’s classic play, The Tempest a completely new direction with two free performances on 19 and 20 September.
Read Arifa Akbar’s review in The Guardian after the premiere in Poland.
Sztetl by Konin Dance Theatre
Sunday 21 September, Bell Square. FREE
On the afternoon of 21 September, Sztetl told the story of the city of Konin’s Jewish community in Poland.This journey, presented through movement, words and gesture, is in search of people who are no longer with us, while celebrating the pre-war life of the local Jewish community.
Polish Londoners
‘Polish Londoners’ was a project developed by Creative People and Places Hounslow and Hounslow’s Polish communities. It explored how storytelling, folklore, and traditional crafts provide a way for Polish communities in the UK to celebrate their heritage, connect with Poland and each other, and develop new narratives as Poles living in the UK. Learn more about the programme here.
UK-Poland: ‘Imagining Futures’ exhibition launch
June, Hanworth Library. FREE
The UK-Poland: ‘Imagining Futures’ free exhibition launched in June at Hanworth Library. Commissioned by Hounslow Exhibitions Group for CPP Hounslow’s Visual Arts Programme, textile artist Karolina Dworska created three new works as part of an exhibition exploring ‘Imagining New Futures’ in the context of the UK-Poland Season 2025.
Polish Music Festival
16 August, Bell Square. FREE
Watermans celebrated contemporary Polish music at Bell Square with live music and DJ’s including: Blanka Barbara (DJ); Retro Girls; Amanda L’ska; Mateusz Mijal and Good Friend Rik on 16 August. Creative People and Places Hounslow also ran a workshop at the free festival for visitors to collect and complete the ‘Polish Londoner’ postcards.
Polish Londoners Exhibition
August, CPP Hounslow Community Galleries. FREE
In August a series of free exhibitions launched across Creative People and Places‘s Hounslow Community Galleries, featuring new works by Zula Rabikowska and which showcased the broader Polish Londoners project.