Scena polska w Czeskim Cieszynie teatrem wspólnoty

The Polish Stage of Tĕšín Divadlo (Cieszyn Theatre) in Česki Tĕšín came into existence in August 1951. It is a professional theatre of a Polish autochthonous group cut off from its motherland due to the arbitrary-border principles. The theatre is the institution which, mainly through a language and repertoire, carries out the mission of supporting the national identity in the foreign country and in different living conditions. The concept of community on the Polish Stage evolves from the primal ethnic community and national community into the regional community (Silesian). The primal ethnic community is understood here as a sense of belonging to the Zaolzie group and culture that is based on the acceptance of the indigenous values typical for this ethnic society. It relates to the a sense of awareness of the particular identity and of belonging to a particular group. The national community is related to Polish culture and its trends coming from Poland. The regional community (Silesian) forms the plane where the social and cultural community of the whole Cieszyn Silesia – both Polish and Czech region – can be observed. The contemporary concept of community presented by the Polish Stage maintains its primal national character.