CONTINUATIONS AND CHANGES

There have been two opinions emerging in the discussions about Polish theatre in the recent years. The first claim is that after a short political break brought by the 1989 breakthrough, theatre again started to take on social obligations. "Freedom" turned out to be a civic project not having much in common with the spiritual or merely economic liberation. It also became clear that in the new reality, an individual is inextricably bound with everything that is social, political and hence these aspects cannot be separated or ignored.

According to the other argument, the renewed alliance with the spectator is fully visible in the work of young theatre directors. It is strongly claimed that something has been changing in Polish theatre recently and that along with young artists entering the theatre, the theatre life started to accelerate. What does it mean?

Undoubtedly, the new reality generates new themes and problems. However, this is not crucial. The more important factor is the reaction of the young authors to something that can be called the "form" through which the present reality is shown: the media hype, the expansion of the pop culture language etc. The theatre which aims at establishing contact with the audience, here and now, has to be communicative and audible, which also means being competitive with the growing hustle and bustle of modernity. It has to be expressive, provocative and up-to-date. Therefore, if we talk about the "new" in Polish theatre life, we mean above all the theatrical language - its form and creative strategies. The young Polish theatre speaks in a more open and direct manner and the impact on the spectator is its priority.

Evolution or revolution?

In order to capture this tendency, new terms and definitions are being created. A particularly fashionable term is "the more talented youth" used by Piotr Gruszczyński to describe the authors who became widely known in the mid-1990s. Following that track, there were attempts at calling another group of theatre directors "even more talented youth". Recently, there has been a debate on the term "the new discontented".

Similar terms have the advantage of expressing the unrest which has been caused in Polish theatre criticism by the appearance of new directors. Their disadvantage, however, is a lack of precision. They suggest clear classification, whereas the artists associated with certain "groups" are distinctive both in terms of generation and their programme (which is emphasised by the authors of the terms themselves). There are certain common tendencies in the work of the directors, but each of the artists puts them into effect in a different fashion, using different forms. In fact, these differences seem to be more important than the similarities. Individualities have always been the strength of Polish theatre and are still today.

There is another reservation. The young authors argue with the "masters" yet they do not deny their achievements. On the contrary, they openly manifest their attachment to the “masters”. In turn, the latter have never been indifferent to what has been going on (also in theatre). In this respect, they still remain young, often more modern than their "followers". After all, what makes a "master"? The term is debatable. Traditionally, this description referred to Krystian Lupa and Jerzy Grzegorzewski (the third one, Jerzy Jarocki has not directed much recently). However, when taking into account the influence he exerts on other authors, not the quality of his theatre, the position of Jerzy Grzegorzewski becomes problematic. On the other hand, Krzysztof Warlikowski is already regarded as a "master".

However, such or any other classification is not crucial. The important thing is that the names or terms should remain auxiliary and not determining. The recent history of Polish theatre should be captured as a process, not a revolution.

The master and a student that became the master

Krystian Lupa owes his dominant role in Polish theatre not only to his outstanding performances, but also to the impact he has on younger directors (he teaches at the Theatre School in Krakow and thus shapes their education). It is said that there is the Lupa’s "line" of followers in Polish theatre including, among others, Krzysztof Warlikowski, Grzegorz Jarzyna, Anna Augustynowicz and Piotr Cieplak. What is crucial, the theatre of Lupa’s followers is often completely different from their master’s theatre. This relationship is visible rather in the artistic sensitivity than external imitation. It is often difficult to capture, but the directors themselves confirm it – there are few that deny their fascination with the work and personality of Krystian Lupa.

A certain trademark of his theatre is the work with an actor. In this respect, Lupa has set a new standard to which many young directors aspire. He works with actors in a specific manner: it is an intimate process based on personal conversation and aims at reaching hidden sensitivity. As a result, the actor is intensely present on the stage. Lupa has his favourite actors in Stary Teatr [The Old Theatre] in Krakow and Teatr Dramatyczny [The Dramatic Theatre] in Warsaw where he works most often.

In the 1990s Lupa adapted mostly German prose of the turn of the centuries (Musil, Broch, Kubin) and the work of Thomas Bernhard. He also returned to Bernhard in 2001 when he directed Wymazywanie [Extinction]. As compared with other adaptations of Bernhard, Wymazywanie by Lupa focused on social issues. Together with the protagonist, we make a journey into the past – the family past, German past and our own past – a journey which reveals dark and fragile fundamentals of the contemporary world. The play discusses the most important aspects of Lupa’s work – the reflection on the condition of contemporary culture and spirituality. Another intriguing variation on this subject is the scenic poem Zaratustra [Zarathustra] (2005) where Lupa combined Nietzsche’s work with the prose by Einar Schleef. The majority of the play is a paraphrase of Zarathustra’s history. The protagonist’s dream of a superman is confronted with the landscape of a dying world of values.

Lupa’s adaptations are usually very long and sometimes they are divided into two evenings. In the slow rhythm of a performance, the plot is not that important - what is crucial is the internal action, the slow delving into the hidden sense of the play, uncovering subsequent layers of meaning. They are long narratives which capture the world in the categories of fundamental change, process and redefinition.

In the recent years, Lupa’s theatre has become more and more autothematic. In Niedokończony utwór na jednego aktora [Unfinished work for an actor] (2004), based on Antoni Chekhov and Yasmina Reza, one of the themes is a reflection on acting as a profession and a metaphor of life. In one of the last adaptations of Bernhard – Na szczytach panuje cisza [Over All the Mountain Tops] (2006), in a completely ironic portrait of the great writer (Moritz Meister), we find a reflection of the director himself, who critically reviews his own greatness. Self-reflection rules his theatre also in other performances. Lupa constantly reviews his achievements, breaks developed forms and builds new ones. In this sense also the term "Lupa’s school/line in Polish theatre" should be understood literally. Lupa’s theatre is still young and constantly evolving, although it always seems to be one step ahead.

From the today’s perspective it is clearly visible that the most outstanding student of Lupa is Krzysztof Warlikowski. The director earned his position very slowly. His first adaptations met with a cool reception. It was said that they were hermetic, overaesthetized and unintelligible (incidentally, early adaptations by Lupa received the same critique). Today Warlikowski is a mature, developed artist recognized both in Poland and abroad (where he directs more often than in Poland).

Warlikowski became known in the second half of the 1990s but the turning point was in 2001 when he directed Oczyszczeni [Cleansed] by Sarah Kane. The production is also one of the most important events in Polish theatre over the recent years. The performance shows the contemporary world as empty, deprived of God, a place where human relations have broken down. It could be said that the testing and reconstruction of those relations in fact constitute the main theme of the play. The reconstruction is tragic and imperfect. The sexual union of the protagonists takes place through bloody experiments and the final picture is the image of joined mutilated bodies.

Warlikowski avoids literalism and journalism – in his image of contemporary world and humankind he refers to universalist way of thinking. What is important here is the experience of the director earned during work on classical plays and Shakespeare’s plays that he frequently drew on in the 1990s. At the beginning of the 21st century he directed Bachantki [Bacchae] (2001) and Burza [Storm] (2003). What is characteristic of Warlikowski’s adaptations is his interest in everything that is socially or culturally rejected and condemned. The director touches the taboo, stands up for what is different, he offers a bold, uncompromising, inconvenient theatre which, at the same time, is most accomplished and sophisticated (Małgorzata Szczęśniak, stage designer, works at each Warlikowski’s performance). Forbidden themes, harsh straightforward dialogue with the audience, "modernity" and specific magnetic atmosphere are what make Warlikowski’s theatre an extremely strong reference for many younger directors.

Warlikowski’s last choices of plays were more unpredictable and mysterious. First, he took up Dybuk [The Dybbuk] (2003) where the work by Szymon Ansky meets prose by Hanna Krall (about the experience of WWII). Next, he directed Krum by Hanoch Levin (2005). The structure of these performances, although precisely built, is less cohesive and distinctive. Themes and motives from earlier adaptations return and at the same time their tone changes. There are more elements of genre type; the performances refer more to the everyday life. It is a sort of regained respect to simplicity, to what is prosaic yet beautiful and charming. Saying that the recent productions by Warlikowski are more optimistic would be too much of an exaggeration. But most certainly, they are warmer.

In the last couple of years, Warlikowski worked in opera several times. Other directors, such as Krystian Lupa and Grzegorz Jarzyna, formerly working only in Teatr Dramatyczny, also try their hands at opera; an important position is held by Mariusz Treliński, former manager of Teatr Wielki – Opera Narodowa w Warszawie [Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera]. Warlikowski directed, among others, Ubu Rex by Krzysztof Penderecki (2003) and Wozzeck by Alban Berg (2006). It is not only an attempt at challenging a different theatrical language, or juxtaposing it with the features of a drama theatre. With his subsequent adaptations Warlikowski consequently works out a distinctive position in opera [more on opera adaptations: link to text on opera].

Planet Grzegorzewski

Jerzy Grzegorzewski (d. 2005) began his career as early as in the 1960s. His position was distinctive, on the one hand he was considered a "master", and on the other hand he was perceived as elite, hermetic and unintelligible. Grzegorzewski spoke in his unique theatrical language. He created a closed, individual scenic world which was dense and difficult. It was also very characteristic through motives, constructions, props recurring from performance to performance, and acting arranged in a musical and plastic manner. Grzegorzewski consequently adapted works of his favourite authors – Shakespeare, Polish romantic writers, Stanisław Wyspiański, Witold Gombrowicz and Tadeusz Różewicz. The latter called the director’s theatre "Planet Grzegorzewski". This term best describes the individual character of this theatre.

In his last years, Grzegorzewski directed many productions choosing special and esoteric plays: Morze i zwierciadło [The Sea and the Mirror] by Wystan Hugh Auden (2002), Duszyczka [Little Spirit] based on poetic works by Tadeusz Różewicz (2004) and On. Drugi powrót Odysa [He. The Second Return of Oddysseus] based on the script of the director and his daughter, Antonina Grzegorzewska (2005). He often drew on Wyspiański whom he considered an ideal partner for his personal and artistic squaring. In Hamlet by Wyspiański (2003), the protagonist is the poet himself who deals with his death, both in terms of his work and his personal life.

Wyspiański is also the Polish national poet. When in 1997 Grzegorzewski became the manager of Teatr Narodowy [The National Theatre], he chose Wyspiański to be the patron of the stage – in this way he embarked on the social mission of Teatr Narodowy. However, he understood it in his own terms. His productions were not open discussions, and did not come down to provisional settlements. Grzegorzewski demanded a lot, made audience pay close attention, use connotations and sensitivity. His theatre was difficult and thoroughly modern. Although many artists were fascinated by Grzegorzewski’s theatre, he did not have any followers.

In the centre and beyond

In 2004 Grzegorzewski ceased to be the manager of Teatr Narodowy in Warsaw. Ever since the institution has not been able to work out a distinct profile. In turn, another Polish national theatre, Stary Teatr in Krakow, after a couple of years of decline is starting to gain momentum with Mikołaj Grabowski as the manager. Among other theatres in good shape there are: Teatr Dramatyczny under the management of Piotr Cieślak and Teatr Współczesny in Wrocław under the management of Krystyna Meissner. The latter hosts the most important international festival "Dialog" every two years.

The theatre which earned a special place is Teatr Rozmaitości in Warsaw under the management of Grzegorz Jarzyna (he became the manager in 1998). Jarzyna is a director who made a meteoric career in the end of the 1990s. He directed, among others, Książę Myszkin [Prince Myshkin] based on Idiot by Fiodor Dostoyevsky (2000), Uroczystość [The Celebration] by Thomas Vinterberg and Mogens Rukov (2001), 4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane (2002). However, one of his last productions, 2007: Mackbeth (2005) was made into a huge show overloaded with effects and it is that unjustified spectacle and bravura that make his latest productions weaker. From the perspective of the last few years, Jarzyna, the manager appears to be more important than Jarzyna, the director. Under his management, Teatr Rozmaitości (which recently changed its name to TR) gained the position of one of the most important stages in Poland and although it has been loosing pace recently, it is still a brand attracting crowds.

The success of TR was guaranteed by the names of the directors (apart from Jarzyna, Warlikowski, Lupa or Redbad Klijnstra) and the young generation actors (Magdalena Cielecka, Maja Ostaszewska, Andrzej Chyra, Jacek Poniedziałek). But it is not only that. Jarzyna managed to attract a young audience. The theatre ceased to be a place only for the elite, a place of fake high art. It became a place for everyone who actively participates in life. In the season 2003-2004 Jarzyna executed a project as part of which stage performances and short pieces made by young directors and actors based on the latest world plays were presented in various non-theatre places, such as clubs, offices, and empty halls. This way, the theatre came out to people and entered their lives.

A project similar to "Teren Warszawa" was organized in the years 2004-2005 in Teatr Wybrzeże in Gdańsk under the management of Maciej Nowak (2000-2006). The principal goal of "Szybki Teatr Miejski" – to make a theatre more real and closer to the audience – was understood in a more radical manner. The example to follow was the Royal Court Theatre in London. The departure point was a current, important and energizing theme, such as war in Iraq, abortion, immigration. Materials, newspaper reports and people’s accounts were collected and served as a textual basis for the scripts. Teatr Wybrzeże consequently and explicitly fulfilled the aim which is often set to contemporary theatre – to be written by life and to actively participate in it. The project was handed over to young artists and it was addressed mainly to young audience. Moreover, as part of "regular" repertoire, the theatre daringly bet on young directors (including Agnieszka Olsten, Grażyna Kania, Monika Pęcikiewicz).

The most important centres of theatre life in Poland are traditionally located in the largest cities. However, over recent years the theatrical map of Poland has become complicated. Less known institutions have gained in importance (Wałbrzych, Legnica, Opole, Kalisz), and although they have limited resources, they are willing to put more at stake. They give a chance to young directors and have confidence in them. The best example is the theatre in Wałbrzych under the management of Piotr Kruszczyński, which for some time became a centre of theatre life. During the 2002-2003 season, the theatre saw first successes of Jan Klata and Maja Kleczewska – the most famous and promising artists of the young generation.

Between politics and existence

Jan Klata, who is nearly Grzegorza Jarzyna’s age, had his debut a few years later. He burst into stage and was received as the animator of Polish political theatre. He began in 2003 with Rewizor [Inspector] by Gogol, which he transferred to communist Poland. In the end of the performance, the portrait of the then first secretary is replaced with the images of the subsequent political leaders, up till the contemporary Polish President. The very first production by Klata reveals his method: social engagement which is expressed directly and bluntly. Klata is interested with here and now, with everything that is up to date and refers to all of us. Shakespeare (H. after Hamlet by Shakespeare, 2004), Witkiewicz (Córka Fizdejki [Fizdejko’s Daughter], 2004), Słowacki (FANTA$Y, 2005) are a costume necessary to even more explicitly reveal what hides beneath – contemporary reality. The director uses simple scenic resources. He boldly cuts plays and adds his own parts. He often uses pop culture quotations from television and press, thereby inscribing Elizabethan text in the framework of a contemporary code. He does not care about subtle building of tension, his performances act with a single scene, unexpected juxtaposition, and friction between the oppositions.

Klata’s theatre arouses a lot of controversy. There are claims that it is oversimplified and full of clichés. The majority of such accusations, however, can be turned in the director’s favour and included as the staging strategy. Klata attacks Polish Catholicism, which is often empty and hypocritical, as well as the feigned morality and consumerism. Above all, he attacks hypocrisy. He wants to touch and move the spectator so that the performance does not leave anybody indifferent. He rejects subtleties and artistic sophistication in favour of effectiveness.

Maja Kleczewska debuted in Krakow. However, her first productions were unsuccessful. In 2002 she moved to Wałbrzych with her performance Lot nad kukułczym gniazdem [One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest]. A year later she directed Czyż nie dobija się koni? [They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?]. Today Kleczewska, similarly to Klata, directs productions in the most important stages in Poland.

Both Kleczewska and Klata focus on social engagement. Kleczewska also wants to touch and move the audience. However, she does not refer to current Polish issues. She is closer to existentialism rather than the poetics of a political manifesto. She places her characters in a degraded, empty world deprived of human relationships. In Woyzeck (2005), the protagonist faces a giant dumb altar. In Sen nocy letniej [Midsummer Night’s Dream] (2006), a wedding ceremony takes place where the bride is a sex doll. It is a world devoid of a higher instance yet a world where this higher instance has not been forgotten. This dissonance is actually the great strength of Kleczewska’s adaptations.

The primary theme is love. It is a bottom line for other motives. The love in Kleczewska’s theatre is wicked, unfulfilled, and impossible. The yearning for closeness of another person cannot be satisfied as there is no plane (emotional, religious, social or moral) that a human relationship could be built on. The characters are doomed to solitude and wandering. Kleczewska is ruthless, her productions leave no hope for the audience. This appears to be the most pessimistic type of theatre in Poland. It is even more severe, since the contemporary costume, texts filled with "real-life" dialogues - everything explicitly tells us that this theatre refers directly to our reality.

Too old and too young

Paweł Miśkiewicz had his debut late (he was an actor before becoming a director) and achieved success even later. This is why he is compared to Klata and Kleczewska. However, he is much older than them and indeed totally different. He gained recognition with his adaptations of Chekhov (Wiśniowy sad [The Cherry Orchard], 2001; Płatonow [Platonov], 2002) and although he has done mainly German contemporary plays ever since, all of his performances bear the mark of the Russian author. Miśkiewicz is interested in ordinary people who are lost and pushed to the margin. The protagonists of Niewina [Innocence] are two immigrants, "aliens" by definition; the story of Alina na Zachód [Alina Westwards] by Dirk Dobbrow (2006) takes place in the suburbia where the time stopped and the great world has no access. In the horizon, there is always contemporary landscape where Miśkiewicz confronts his protagonists (most visibly in Chleb powszedni [Daily Bread] by Gesine Danckwart (2003), where the action takes place in a glass room with the windows overlooking the streets of a city). Nevertheless, opposite to Klata or Kleczewska, Miśkiewicz avoids making such or other diagnoses on the contemporary world. He is more interested in an individual and his/her private world entangled in a reality that cannot be comprehended or organized. This is why the actor is an important part of the theatre by Miśkiewicz. The director was Lupa’s actor for many years and this experience certainly influenced his work. Miśkiewicz reaches out to his characters. One can say that he stands up for them. His theatre, however, has not much in common with psychology. On the contrary, Miśkiewicz’s productions are puzzles deprived of linear action that have to be put together and made fit by the spectator. This is the source of the interest in contemporary drama, in particular as a contemporary and open form. Performances by Miśkiewicz are in the middle of what is traditional and modern. This is what determines the distinctiveness and specificity of his theatre.

Theatre life is not slowing down. In the last two seasons several promising directors entered the stage. An important role is played by Stary Teatr in Krakow. It carries out the projects BAZ@RT and RE_WIZJE, which are understood as a space for dialogue with foreign theatre (French and German BAZ@RT) and tradition (romantic and classical RE_WIZJE). As part of BAZ@RT, performances are made based on the plays selected in a contemporary drama contest. Apart from recognized names, many young directors (often students) take part in both projects. Part of their short pieces has been included in the theatre repertoire. This is how Stary Teatr facilitates debuts of young directors and shapes the next generation (Michał Zadara, Michał Borczuch, Krzysztof Jaworski).

The most distinct of the youngest directors is Michał Zadara. His work evolves in two directions: on the one hand he is interested in classic plays (Ksiądz Marek [Reverend Marek] by Słowacki, 2005; Wesele [The Wedding] by Wyspiański, 2006; Fedra by Racine, 2006), on the other hand – Polish contemporary drama (From Poland With Love and Wałęsa by Paweł Demirski, both from 2005). He was noticed due to his original interpretation of Polish romantic and neo-romantic drama. The director compares it to contemporary times, precisely indicates common features, questions Polish national myths and tests their topicality. He is less interested in evoking emotions in the audience. On the contrary, he strives for a dialogue based on reading and interpreting theatrical signs. Zadara proposes an anti-psychological theatre openly manifesting its conventionality, a theatre which we lack in Poland.

Contemporary drama

One of the most distinctive phenomena of the last few years is the flourish of Polish drama. Some time ago we complained about the virtual lack of writing activity. Today a big step forward has been made. A wide array of recently published anthologies of contemporary drama (Pokolenie porno, Echa, Repliki, Fantazmaty, Made in Poland) is the best proof for this. The thriving of drama writing is accompanied by the activity of the theatres which at first were reluctant, but now are more willing to work with young authors. Drama contests are organized, several theatres opened study stages oriented at contemporary repertoire (e.g. Garaż Poofszechny at Teatr Powszechny in Warsaw, Studio Dramatu at Teatr Narodowy), and several non-institutional theatres of similar profile have been established (e.g. Laboratorium Teatru Dramatu, Teatr Wytwórnia, both in Warsaw).

Contemporary Polish drama most clearly reflects the aspiration of Polish theatre to participate in social life. It is also true that this mission is a certain burden which makes Polish playwrights who strive for relevance put their artistic aspirations aside (searching for individual language, shaping of form). At least some of them do so. The drama is supposed to be utilitarian – it is to tell us about Poland and Poles, capture and describe social changes. The hot topics are: homosexuals, unemployment, heartless corporations, etc. Drama eagerly fulfils its task yet often in an awkward, poor and superficial manner. The most appealing authors are those who try to depict contemporary world in a less journalistic manner. These include: Michał Walczak, Szymon Wróblewski, and Michał Bajer.

Borderlands

The tone of today’s theatre life is dictated by institutional theatre. It is a place where the most important artists work and the most significant events take place. The alternative theatre, which played an important role in the 1970s and later, is less exposed today. The very name "alternative" is now revised and seems less relevant. The political situation which determined the position and constitution of the alternative movement has changed. The repertoire theatre has changed. The formal borders between the repertoire theatre and alternative movement are blurred. Perhaps it is more adequate to talk about non-institutional theatre in economic and organizational terms although not entirely so. When trying to name and isolate what is commonly called alternative theatre, it is helpful to look at the continuing activity of several well-known groups (Teatr Ósmego Dnia and Akademia Ruchu). Moreover, less known groups, such as Porywacze Ciał, Biuro Podróży, Komuna Otwock, refer to this tradition.

A separate position in Polish theatre life is held by Ośrodek Praktyk Teatralnych Gardzienice [Gardzienice Centre for Theatre Practices] under the management of Włodzimierz Staniewski. The group has been active since the mid-1970s and it has gained international fame and recognition. It very rarely prepares premieres. The last one was Electra in 2004. The group’s performances are a way "back" or rather "toward the roots" of culture, from eastern European folk culture to medieval and ancient culture. The work of the group resembles archaeological activity: performances are preceded by thorough anthropological and ethnological research. The recent performances were an attempt to reconstruct ancient music and dance – two passions which give rise to Gardzienice productions. This archaeology, however, is transferred into a live, intensive theatre. In this sense, Gardzienice revive and resurrect the tradition, showing its continuity rather than reconstructing it. The position of the group is distinct also due to the number of theatrical teams which originate from it. The most important include: Studium Teatralne, Teatr Pieśń Kozła, Węgajty.

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Writing the recent history of theatre is always unfair. Its effect is a picture more lucid and monolithic than in reality. Beside the most popular names there are interesting artists that complement and add variety to the theatre life, although they do not fit in the main current. In turn, artists who were in the centre of attention some time ago (usually after their first performance) today remain in the background. Who knows, maybe this is only a temporary state?

Therefore, there are several ways to answer the question "what has been going on in Polish theatre recently?" However, each story will be incomplete and, to a certain extent, subjective. The picture above is probably incoherent but coherence is not really a feature of Polish theatre life. It is because of it is dynamic nature and the difficulty to capture it in a uniform framework. New artists are constantly emerging, while the older ones are developing. Their accomplishments make it necessary to constantly rewrite history.