Abstract

In the aftermath of World War II, Polish theatregoers witnessed a cultural revival in which Shakespeare and his works held a significant place. In 1947, two years after the end of the Nazi occupation and the large-scale destruction of Poland, the Ministry of Culture and Art organized the Shakespeare Festival that manifested the extent to which his works were processed by the nation’s new political power. Although the 1947 Festival was sometimes associated with extreme bravery and subversion, it was dominated by ideologically and politically selected interpretations. In the same year, communists took control of the government in Poland by winning blatantly falsified elections. In this context of new oppression, many theatre artists used allusions and metaphors to express the prevailing view on the contemporary situation and to surpass the imposed censorship. One of the most significant theatrical productions of the period, which manifested dissatisfaction with the communist leadership, was Shakespeare’s Richard III directed by Jacek Woszczerowicz in 1960 and performed at Warsaw’s Ateneum Theatre. Woszczerowicz, who also played the leading role, appropriated contemporary social concerns as the context of his staging. His bold interpretation, which became known worldwide through Jan Kott’s seminal paper Shakespeare, Our Contemporary, conjured the image of what the eminent Polish critic called the “Grand Mechanism” of history. Kott’s view of Shakespeare’s history play in relation to the twentieth-century violent political changes confirmed its historical contemporaneity and universality. His readings of Shakespeare’s plays, as well as the effort to update his dramas in the specific historical and political setting, were common and hugely influenced Polish audiences’ approach to the Bard’s works. The 1960 performance indirectly commented upon the turbulent situation and effectively communicated the topical message to all theatregoers. Woszczerowicz’s ingenious reading of Richard III turned out to be extremely popular with Polish theatre critics and audiences alike. He used Richard’s role to demonstrate his personal and artistic discontent with the current situation and redefined the character in contemporary terms, presenting his audience with a fascinating study of a man who was a product of a totalitarian regime. In this way, Woszczerowicz’s innovative rendering served as a mirror to the political problems of his time.