Między Zagładą a pogromem. "Wielkanoc" Stefana Otwinowskiego w reżyserii Leona Schillera
Between the Holocaust and Pogrom. Stefan Otwinowski's "Wielkanoc" directed by Leon Schiller

Summary/Abstract: The first play directed by Leon Schiller after World War II was Otwinowski’s Wielkanoc [Easter] (1 October 1946), which also inaugurated his tenure as director of the Polish Army Theatre in Łódź (1946-1949). The choice of Wielkanoc signified the introduction of Jewish subjects on Polish stage for the first time since the end of the War. The play is about the coexistence of Jews and Poles in a small municipality. The outbreak of was and the uprising in the local ghetto became a time of test of character for the Polish population. Schiller imparted a “monumental” dimension to this intimate drama, while at the same time subscribing to the leitmotiv of the play, the suggestion that Polish anti-Semitism stemmed from Catholic tradition and only the ideals of the Reformation could contribute to the development of religious and racial tolerance. This controversial hypothesis evoked many conflicting opinions. At the same time, the interpretation and urgency of the message of the play were influenced by fresh anti-Jewish incidents, none more so than the Kielce pogrom of July 1946.

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