Teatr słupski jako przykład małomiasteczkowego i lokalnego działania

This article discusses the experience of small-townedness/localism through the transfer of theatre activities based on the example of theatre institutions in Słupsk, a small city in northern Poland. Localism, recognised as a theme of theatre performances and a leading trend in the development of close relations with the audience, makes theatre institutions eager to use local narratives referring to the place’s history and the cultural identity of its residents. While eliminating the centre–periphery differences regarding participation in cultural events, localism also allows for a better understanding of the distinctiveness and uniqueness of small and medium-sized cities. Emerging as an artistic way of building community narratives, revising stereotypes and restoring the memory of a place and its past, it makes us consider the current problems of its community entirely anew or from a different angle. The context for the unfolding discussion has been provided by multi-disciplinary research (literary studies, theatre studies, history and anthropology of culture) on complex phenomena and processes of contemporary culture in the era of postmodernity. The common denominator is the recognition and appreciation of activities by local theatre institutions that not only ‘practice’ localism on a daily basis but also use it to tell otherwise ‘invisible’ stories and restore the memory of the past. Their approach to localism emerges as a hallmark of their activities.