Behind the performance is THEOS Theatre and Opera Society — an organization led by Kasia Drucker, a soprano, director, and one of the most active figures on the Polish-American artistic scene in America. The performance will be staged with the intention of world peace.
A Mystery, Not a Spectacle
“Passion and Resurrection” is not an ordinary theatrical performance — the creators emphasize that it is primarily a communal prayer with parishioners. The performance begins with Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and leads the viewer through successive stages of the Passion of Christ: Judas’ betrayal, suffering, death on the cross, and Resurrection. The narrative combines elements of Greek theater with Polish Lenten and Easter poetry — viewers will hear poems by Roman Brandstaetter, Ernest Bryll, and Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński, interspersed with Passion music from various eras, including classics by Pergolesi and Schubert in Latin. The whole is enriched by a multimedia presentation of paintings by great masters — Caravaggio, Rubens, and others — which accompanies the texts displayed on screen.
On stage are three people: Kasia Drucker — a dramatic soprano who carries the emotional weight of the entire performance; Anna Kucay — an actress and reciter, interpreting poetry with theatrical precision; and accompanist D. Alan Jaymes. Tadeusz Nowak is responsible for the multimedia setting. As Drucker says: the audience is not a spectator, but a living witness to betrayal, suffering, and resurrection.
Kasia Drucker and THEOS — a Polish-American theater that doesn’t wait for grants
Katarzyna Drucker is a figure without whom it is difficult to imagine Polish-American cultural life in Greenpoint and wider New York. A soprano by training — associated with the opera and operetta stage in Szczecin for twenty years — she came to New York in 2006 and almost immediately began to build the Polish artistic scene from scratch. She co-founded the cabaret “Pierwszego Kwietnia” (First of April), and in 2007 she established a theater group that transformed into THEOS Theatre and Opera Society — a registered non-profit organization that for over a dozen years has regularly staged poetic-vocal performances, opera and cabaret shows in churches, cultural centers, and galleries in New York, New Jersey, and American Częstochowa in Doylestown.
“Passion and Resurrection” is a flagship production of THEOS — staged for several years and performed over thirty times in various parishes in New York and New Jersey. Drucker not only sings and directs, but also personally organizes, promotes, and coordinates every event — from negotiating with parish priests to printing posters. This is a model of Polish-American culture that does not wait for large grants, but operates with the power of passion, volunteerism, and parish community.
St. Stanislaus Kostka Church — the heart of Polish Greenpoint
The choice of location is not accidental. St. Stanislaus Kostka Church at 607 Humboldt Street is the oldest and most important Polish parish in Greenpoint — the spiritual home of Brooklyn’s Polish community for generations. Under the leadership of Father Grzegorz Markulak, the parish actively supports Polish-American cultural initiatives, from the Passion mystery play to the Dyngus Day Parade, which Markulak co-organizes with Drucker and THEOS. This parish is the starting point for Greenpoint traditions that attract not only Poles, but increasingly more New Yorkers from all over the city.
It is worth adding that just one week after the Mystery Play — on Easter Monday, April 6 — the fifth Dyngus Day Parade in Greenpoint will set off from St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, also organized by THEOS and the parish. The parade will march through the streets of Greenpoint from Humboldt Street via Engert Avenue, Russell Street, and Nassau Avenue to McGolrick Park, where sausage, polka, and traditional water dousing will await. Start at 5:30 PM. This is proof that Greenpoint lives Polish tradition not just on holidays, but week after week — from Lent to Wet Monday.
Practical Information
- What: “Passion and Resurrection” — a poetic-vocal Passion mystery play
- When: Sunday, March 29, 2026, 1:45 PM
- Where: St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, 607 Humboldt Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222
- Performers: Kasia Drucker (soprano), Anna Kucay (recitation), D. Alan Jaymes (accompaniment), Tadeusz Nowak (multimedia)
- Organizer: THEOS Theatre and Opera Society
- Intention: World Peace
- Contact: Kasia Drucker, Tel. 646-468-8354, [email protected]
Editorial Staff, Voice of Polonia in USA
Dyngus Day Parade in Greenpoint — Monday, April 6, 5:30 PM, starting from St. Stanislaus Kostka Church. More information: 718-388-0170 or [email protected]
Read more at poland.us — culture, events, and Polish-American life in America. Looking for Polish services in your area? PolishPages.com
