A lone woman stands in the shade of cherry trees, their blossoms thick with remembrance. She waits: for her beloved, for history to resolve, for the unspoken to take form in words and song. This is the world of Katie’s Tales, the one-woman theatrical presentation by Polish actress and vocal practitioner Agnieszka Kazimierska, known as Aga, coming to Prescott’s Hazeltine Theatre March 7-8 as part of TCB Curates, a program by The Carpetbag Brigade.
Aga’s work blends theatre, song and poetic movement, and she has toured Katie’s Tales around the globe since its premiere in 2018. Under Director Mario Biagini (of the renowned Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards), the piece is both intimate and expansive, a meditation on waiting, longing, and the fragmented echoes of history.
“I’ve performed this piece in Italy, Turkey, England, France, Argentina, Russia, the US and many more places,” Kazimierska relates. “It isn’t just a story about one woman, it’s about many women. In the Polish tradition the name Kasia is used in folk songs and poetry as a symbol of the countless female voices left unheard in historical narratives.”
Rooted in Song and Poetry
Aga’s work is deeply connected with her background in vocal tradition and theatre. With a master’s in psychology and years spent at the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards, she has honed an artistic language that is both visceral and ethereal.
Katie’s Tales weaves together fragments of Polish folk songs, ancient poetry and original text. “The songs are prayers, laments and love calls,” she explains. “I was interested in how universal love — something many religious and poetic traditions speak of — could be explored through my own cultural heritage.”
The play follows Katie, a woman living in a time of turmoil, waiting for a lover who left after a terrible event. She is accompanied by two foreign-born servants, G and Mary, figures steeped in Biblical and historical resonance. Through poetic monologues, songs and physical storytelling, Kazimierska inhabits multiple characters: Katie herself, her drunken uncle, even ominous embodiments of dictatorship and history.
“The performance moves fluidly through time,” she says. “The audience isn’t given a linear path. Instead, they are guided through Katie’s memories, dreams, and traumas.”
Art as a Bridge to Dialogue
Beyond its artistic depth, Katie’s Tales serves as a catalyst for discussion. Following each performance audiences will be invited to a panel discussion featuring local artists and scholars. Panelists include Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez, a theatre director and professor at the University of New Mexico; Delisa Myles, emeritus professor of dance at Prescott College; and Brandelyn Andres, a professor of Art History and Feminist Theory at Yavapai College.
“I believe art should open space for conversation,” Aga reflects. “This performance is an encounter — not just with Katie, but with questions about our own histories, our own longings, and where we belong in the flow of events.”
Homing Song: A Workshop in Vocal Expression
In addition to the performances, Aga will lead the workshop Homing Song on March 9 in the Hazeltine Gallery. The workshop invites participants to explore voice, movement, vocal improvisation and singing songs of tradition as a means of evoking the sensation of ‘home.’
“For me, singing is a way of investigating my inner world and connecting with the wisdom of human sentience,” she explains. “This workshop is an invitation to explore that."
With Katie’s Tales Aga invites audiences to step into a space where history, poetry and the human voice converge, where waiting is not passive, but an act of resilience, and song is a means of reclaiming the past.
As Prescott prepares to welcome this international artist, one thing is certain: Katie’s Tales is more than a performance. It is an experience, a conversation, and a reckoning with the silenced voices of history.
Katie’s Tales will play March 7-8 in the Hazeltine Theatre, 208 N Marina St, Prescott; The followup workshop Homing Song will take place March 9, 10am-2pm in the adjacent Hazeltine Gallery (advance registration is required); for tickets and more info visit TCB Curates at carpetbagbrigade.com.
