Polish Contemporary Theatre: An Interpretation Through a Global Lens Title in language [PL]

Theatre is one of Poland’s strongest artistic fortes and has gained a high level of recognition abroad. Its theatre companies perform on the highest level of stages and theatre festivals across the globe. This thesis aims to provide an interpretation and analysis of Polish contemporary theatre through a global lens and focuses on various affects displayed by contemporary plays shown abroad. It begins with a brief history of the so-called “founding fathers,” of international acclaim, Jerzy Grotowski and Tadeusz Kantor. It then goes on to analyze Kalkwerk, as staged by Krystian Lupa, the so called “Grand Master,” or “the Father,” of contemporary Polish theatre and the various affects displayed by the actors performing on stage, as well as a focus on the international recognition the play received. The following chapter goes on to analyze Krum, as staged by Krzysztof Warlikowski, the second most recognized Polish contemporary theatre director. It observes the different universal emotions at stake in the play and provides the diverse responses the play received abroad. The thesis also provides a brief analysis of the renowned annual Divine Comedy festival, which features Poland’s greatest theatre talents, and turns the city of Krakow into an international hub of culture. The thesis is an analysis aimed to focus on the common, universal aspects found in the chosen performances on the level of emotional connections and interactions. The submitted work answers the question of why Polish theater is so successful across the globe.