„Dziady" directed by Kazimierz Dejmek – an attempt at demythologisation

The author of the article attempts to recreate the famous staging of Dziady directed by Kazimierz Dejmek, in order to demystify the spectacle. The performance is analysed in terms of art, taking into account the political situation (March 1968). In order to establish the facts, the author uses an assistant’s script, the recollections of the witnesses of the release of Dziady and fragments of the performance. The reconstruction of the staging enabled the researcher to conclude that it was artistically valuable, but it was the political situation at the time that played the most important role in popularising that interpretation of the drama

Tuwim and Witkacy: Visual Translation of 'Kalinowe dwory'

The article offers a comparative analysis of a lost painting by Witkacy (know only from a photographic reproduction) and a poem by Julian Tuwim. Tuwim’s poem inspired Witkacy to create his work. The poem is used by the author as a model for interpreting philosophical aspects of Witkacy’s painterly composition, offering a concluding remark that the visual translation of the poem reflects Witkacy’s aesthetic philosophy. The article also provides an new way of reading Tuwim’s poetry in which the painterly aspect of his writing is being particularly exposed.Zadanie „Stworzenie anglojęzycznych wersji wydawanych publikacji” finansowane w ramach umowy nr 948/P-DUN/2016 ze środków Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego przeznaczonych na działalność upowszechniającą naukę

Stefan Themerson’s Opera (St. Francis & The Wolf of Gubbio or Brother Francis’ Lamb Chops)

The paper focuses on the experimental work of Stefan Themerson (St. Francis and The Wolf of Gubbio or Brother Francis’ Lamb Chops, an Opera in 2 Acts, text and music by Stefan Themerson, drawings by Franciszka Themerson, De Harmonie – Gaberbocchus Press, Amsterdam–London 1972) and the question of intermediality in general. An interpretation of the ‘semantic opera’ (written in 1954–1960, as a continuation of Semantic Divertissements [1962] and factor T [1956]), places Themerson’s idea in the context of the aesthetics of intermediality. The author signals a terminological confusion connected with the understanding of St. Francis and The Wolf of Gubbio (semantic opera; hybrid work; intermedial work, etc.) and argues that the aesthetics of intermediality appear to be an important and inspiring context for the interpretation of Themerson’s text and life. In this case, considerations on the subject of textuality show, on the one hand, different relations between literature, painting, music and theatre (artistic intermediality), and, on the other, the phenomenon of intermediality as the aesthetics of existence

Theatre and Drama of Socialist Realism in the Context of Cryptotexts (Based on MKiS and WUKPPiW Material)

The main goal of the article is to offer a description of cryptotexts of theatre staging handbooks and dramatic works created in Poland during the socialist realism period. A cryptotext is a secret text which is the result of a purposeful act of subterfuge. In the article, I present selected cryptotexts – reviews produced in the Ministry of Culture and Art (MKiS) and censorship reviews of the dramatic works submitted for evaluation to the Voivodship Control Bureau for Press, Main Office of Control of Press, Publications and Shows (WUKPPiW). The archives contain evaluation of works which have been published in subsequent years as well as those which remained only in their draft form. Analysis of the evaluations of ministry officials reveal the mechanisms for allowing and withholding submitted dramatic works and a theatre staging handbook which shows the practices of publishing theatrical works. An analysis of different evaluations of the same text allows for a hypothesis that the main aim of cryptotexts was the evaluation of ideological correctness of submitted works. Despite this main function it is possible to point out specific passages in the statements by the WUKPPiW officials which are similar to statements of Ministry officials. In both cases the evaluation pertains to the content and the planned fulfilment of the work and plays mainly a didactic function

Analiza wykorzystania mediów społecznościowych przez instytucje kultury na przykładzie Teatru Śląskiego w Katowicach

The purpose of this article is to present the results of the analysis of ac­ tivities carried out by the Teatr Śląski in the social media and the im­ pact of these activities on the image of the institution. The study cov­ ered by social networking sites and blogs, where Teatr Śląski officially promotes its activities.Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie wyników analizy dzia­ łań prowadzonych przez Teatr Śląski w Katowicach w mediach społecznościowych oraz przedstawienie wpływu tych działań na kreo­ wanie wizerunku instytucji. Badaniem zostały objęte serwisy społecz­ nościowe oraz blogi, w których Teatr Śląski oficjalnie prowadzi dzia­ łalność promocyjną

Richard III in Russian Theatre at the Twilight of the "Thaw"

Richard III was very rarely staged in Russian theatre in tsarist and Stalin’s times, because the story of inhuman tyranny provoked associations with Russian political reality. In the period of the so-called “Thaw” (1954ß1964) the play became very popular in the USSR and several scenic productions of it were real events in Russian (and Soviet) theatrical life. In the essay three most original and successful performances (in Kujbyshev, Gorkij and Erevan) are discussed and compared