„Teatr, który się wtrąca” – przestrzenie dialogu/starcia w polskim teatrze współczesnym

Abstract

The maxim quoted in the title was coined by Zygmunt Hübner, the patron of the Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw, and later adopted by the Theatre itself as both its programmatic principle and promotional slogan. The paper uses the formula to describe the engaged theatre trend – very distinct today – i.e. the theatre that addresses pressing political and social issues. By examining selected productions, the author examines the engaged theatre in three areas: ideological, artistic, and social (these categories also structure the composition of this article). The “conceptual space” is shaped by the theatre makers’ ideological concepts actualised in their stage expressions, which guide the selection of themes and the questions posed to the audience. The “artistic space” is established by the theatrical works themselves and the staging strategies used in them. The “public debate space” is created by both intentional and unauthorised actions of the performance creators that involve the plays in discussions beyond the theatrical walls. Thus, the paper examines the “political dimension” of the contemporary Polish theatre as a field of art, the “political dimension” that manifests in its intricate entanglement with culture, social life, and politics