Programme - Mary & Mietek
The Space, September 2022
"My Grandmother, Mary Sloboda, passed away in 2017. Packing away her things, we found a box of letters tucked away in her attic, dated from 1945. These were letters that my grandma had sent to my grandfather, Mietek Sloboda, during the first year of their courtship.
Mietek was a polish aeroplane engineer in the RAF, who spent the first 3 years of the war in a Siberian gulag as a Prisoner of War. After moving to the UK, he met Mary at a soldier’s dance in London and they began writting to one another.
In 2019 we developed the first scratch version, of the play based on the letters, leading to a run at Camden Fringe last year, that received great reviews and an award. Which leads us to now - we are so excited to present Mary & Mietek."
Charles Sloboda-Bolton
Grandson of Mary & Mietek Sloboda
Written by Maria Laumark in association with Abi Smith
Director Abi Smith
Performers Maria Laumark & Louis Cruzat
Live music composed and performed Joel Marten
Lighting design and operation Will Townsend
Stage Manager Ruth Newbery-Payton
Production Assistant & Creative Consultant Charles Sloboda-Bolton
BSL Interpretation Becky Barry
Trigger Warning Coordinator Ellie Woodruff-Bryant
Produced by Maria Laumark & Ruth Newbery-Payton
This show has been created with the support of
National Lottery Funding through Arts Council England
Polonia Aid Foundation Trust Association,
Polish Cultural Institute
Danish Embassy
The Sloboda Family
Fourth Monkey
The Space London
The Questors Theatre
Special thanks to
Amy Rushent
Max Curtis
Franciso Cruzat
Rich Rusk
Omnibus Theatre
Ben makes a last attempt to secure his future with Alma. Separated by Brexit, borders and their own uncertainty, they come together to discover the love letters of Ben’s grandparents. 1945 doesn’t seem so far removed...
Based on real letters of Mary & Mietek, this two-hander romantic journey, with beautiful live scoring and subtle but powerful movement, guides us between life during WW2 and the present day. Mary & Mietek is a testament to the power of love to cross borders and break down barriers.
Background to Mary & Mietek Sloboda
Written by Charlie Sloboda-Bolton
Mary was born Mary Bregazzi in 1927 Her family changed their name to Brent during World War 2.
Widowed when Mary was a child , Mary’s mother remained living and working in South Harrow. Despite her opposition to the marriage, she accommodated Mary and Mietek and their first child in her small maisonette, until they were able to afford their own home.
Mary & Mietek married in 1948.
Mietek left the RAF in the same year. He went on to work for Johnson Matthey, the British chemical company.
In 1953, they moved to 29 Greystoke avenue, Pinner, where they lived for the rest of their lives.
After the war ended, Mietek discovered his eldest brother had been murdered in the Katyn massacre of 1940. He never got to see his parents again.
Mietek died of lung cancer in 1981.
Mary never moved out of Greystoke Avenue. She passed away, in 2017, in the bed she had shared with Mietek.
Mary spent the evening before she passed on the phone to Marie, a friend she had known since before she met Mietek.
They are succeeded by three children and four grandchildren.