Tadeusz Świątek w teatrze krakowskim (czyli wpływ eksportu zbóż i innych czynników na sytuację kierownika literackiego)

Tadeusz Świątek, theatre scholar, journalist, translator, pedagogue, and dramaturge at the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Cracow in 1924–1926 – under Teofil Trzciński as manager – and in 1926–1929 – under Zygmunt Nowakowski, was born in 1894; having graduated from the Jagiellonian University, he published theatrical reviews and taught literature; in 1918 he became an editor of a highly regarded cultural journal, Maski. As Trzciński’s close collaborator, he was part of the theatre’s artistic management, but he had to take into account the strong position of Stanisława Wysocka, who was, for example, responsible for Evreinov’s visit to Cracow and staging of his drama The Chief Thing. Plays translated by Świątek – e.g. Cinema Romance (Kolportage) by Kaiser, Hidalla by Wedekind, and Hofmannsthal’s Elektra– were staged as well. A journal edited by Świątek, Listy z Teatru (1924/25) that published, among other things, articles on contemporary Polish and European theatre and drama turned out to be a success. Good collaboration with Trzciński was disrupted by a conflict which turned into a legal battle concerning a large amount of money that Świątek lent to Trzciński, who tried to invest it in grain trade. The case continued for several years and ended with an amicable settlement whereby Trzciński paid the debt partly from his share in the profits of the Słowacki Theatre during his second time as its manager (1931–1935). At the beginning of Nowakowski’s term as manager, Świątek kept his position of literary adviser and editor of valuable theatre programmes. In 1929 he was, however, discharged by Nowakowski, following a conflict with Warsaw literati and some discrepancies as to how the theatre should be run. Świątek described the circumstances of his dismissal in an article published in Głos Narodu.