Problemy z opisem. Teatr i inne atrakcje w Łodzi przed I wojną światową
Difficult to Describe: The Theatre and Other Attractions in Łódź Before the Great War

Author(s): Piotr Olkusz
Subject(s): Theatre, Dance, Performing Arts, Cultural history, Local History / Microhistory
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: Theatre in Łódź; Władysław Rowiński; Polish provincial theatre; People's Theatre
Summary/Abstract: Since the first known professional theatre performance in Łódź (1844), local opinion-forming circles have been calling for the establishment of a permanent Polish-language theatre in this city. This was largely dictated by the post-Romantic belief in the need to emphasize the Polishness of the city by locating a permanent institution of high culture there - this was all the more important because the theatre of the German and Jewish minorities was developing relatively dynamically. In line with this project, many times - including in the press - the most appropriate repertoire for such a stage was outlined, with a special place reserved for national, preferably serious, dramas with patriotic overtones. Subsequent attempts to create such a scene ended in failure, increasing the frustration of many local elites and contributing to the creation of a myth about a city averse to dramatic art. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of Łódź had the opportunity to watch the entertainment repertoire shown in a similar period in other large European cities, which may prove both the surprising activity of traveling groups and the tastes of Łódź residents not differing from those of the industrial cities of the West. Moreover, Łódź also became the cradle of Polish folk theatre - a special type of theatre venture addressed to a working-class audience and modeled on similar theatres in Europe.

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