CRACOW THEATRES DURING THE POLISH-BOLSHEVIK WAR (Teatry krakowskie w dobie wojny polsko-bolszewickiej)

• Authors: Poskuta-Wlodek Diana
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The Polish-Bolshevik war fought from February 1919 to March 1921, although taking place away from Cracow, had a strong effect on the city's economic situation, which, in turn, had a substantial influence upon the functioning of its theatre institutions. During the 1918-1919 theatre season, Cracow, inhabited by 180,000 people, had three - and from October 1919, four permanent theatres and many outdoor platforms, cabarets, and amateur theatres. The Juliusz Slowacki Municipal Theatre on Sw. Duch Square continuing the tradition of the national stage strived at combining the tradition with avant-garde trends and put on both the classics and masterpieces of the Polish canon as well as the first expressionist plays in Poland. The 'Powszechny' Municipal Theatre on Rajska Street had a popular character and had a company of dramatic actors as well as an operetta and vaudeville troupe, and in the next season, opera singers, too. The 'Nowosci' Private Theatre on Starowislna Street played Tingel-Tangel productions and from September 1919, operettas as well. In October 1919, the 'Bagatela' Theatre on Karmelicka Street opened; it was a modern and well-managed commercial theatre that played mostly farces and comedies written by foreign authors. There was also the Cracow Opera Society that did not have its own house and played a few operas a year, mostly at the house of the Juliusz Slowacki Theatre. The municipal theatres were funded by the municipality and received a one-time subsidy from the state government while the private ones functioned under concession issued by the theatre commission and were not subsidized. All of them struggled with inflation that influenced their ticket prices and maintenance costs, salary demands made by the newly formed trade unions, strikes organized by technicians and actors, ever-changing box office incomes, and most of all, the competition. There were numerous conflicts about the rights to produce certain plays, and many of them were brought before court. A litigation won by the 'Nowosci' Theatre about the rights to play Vienna operettas resulted in the bankruptcy of the 'Powszechny' Theatre, at which point the Cracow Opera Society seized the opportunity and took over the venue vacated by the bankrupt company. All these events were taking place in the period of intensive artistic work in the shadows of war. The theatres, apart from their normal activity, tried to fulfil their patriotic mission as well. Playing on tour and in town they supported the plebiscites in the Upper and Cieszyn Silesia, and in Pomerania. They put on patriotic plays, and at the time of the battle of Warsaw, in August and September 1920, there was a great theatre festival in which all theatres and actors who were members of the Polish Actors Association (ZASP) participated. It included spectacles, concerts, and performances played at theatre houses, hotel dancehalls, clubs, hospitals, and barracks. As a result of these efforts, tens of thousands of soldiers could see these performances, and for many of them it was the first and only contact with theatre.

Keywords

EN

POLISH THEATRE (KRAKÓW)

Discipline

• ARTS_&_ARCHITECTURE: ARTS & ARCHITECTURE

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Sztuki PAN
• Journal: Pamiętnik Teatralny
• Year: 2010
• Volume: 59
• Issue: 1-2(233-234)
• Pages: 102-148
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Poskuta-Wlodek Diana

• Diana Poskuta-Wlodek, Teatr im. Juliusza Slowackiego w Krakowie, pl. Sw. Ducha 1, 31-023 Kraków, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

10PLAAAA08406