Groteska Theatre
Kraków Artists: Theatre, Cabaret and Film
A theatre at Skarbowa Street 2, especially known for puppet shows and performances in the form-theatre and dance-theatre vein. It was founded on the initiative of Zofia and Władysław Jarema as a children's theatre; its history goes back to 9 June 1945, when the premiere of "Tarabumba Circus" directed by Władysław Jarema took place. Its adult stage has seen, among others, "The Martyrdom of Peter Ohey" by Sławomir Mrożek (1959), "The Card Index" by Tadeusz Różewicz (1961) and "King Ubu" by Alfred Jarry. The theatre is the initiator of, among other things, the Great Dragon Parade and the International Festival of Form Theatre Materia Prima.
History
Groteska is a theatre known above all for its puppet shows and for productions of visual theatre and dance theatre. It was conceived by Zofia and Władysław Jarema, who created it as a children's theatre, originally under the name "Groteska" Theatre of Puppet, Mask and Actor. Its history is taken to begin on 9 June 1945, when Władysław Jarema, its first director, staged the premiere of "Cyrk Tarabumba" ("The Tarabumba Circus").
From 1949 the theatre was run by Zofia Jarema, whose patrons were Sławomir Mrożek and Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński, which is why political metaphor and poetry played an important part in the repertoire. On the stage for adults productions at that time included Mrożek's "Męczeństwo Piotra Ohey'a" ("The Martyrdom of Peter Ohey", 1959), Tadeusz Różewicz's "Kartoteka" ("The Card Index", 1961) and Alfred Jarry's "Ubu Roi", and alongside them shows for children and young people were constantly being created.
In 1975 Freda Leniewicz became director; during this time classics of children's literature appeared on stage, including "Cinderella", "Snow White" and "The Snow Queen". In 1990 the theatre was taken over by Jan Polewka, who combined his own personal theatre with the tradition of his predecessors and drew, among other things, on the culture of the Far East and the masks of commedia dell'arte. From 1998 to 2023 the director was the director and actor Adolf Weltschek, and since September 2023 it has been Karol Suszczyński.
Today Groteska also has a stage for adult audiences. The theatre is also the initiator of the Materia Prima International Festival of Visual Theatre, held every two years, and of Kod Mistrzów ("The Masters' Code") - monthly meetings with leading figures of artistic and social life, held from October to June in the theatre hall.
Did you know?
Groteska is the initiator of the Great Dragon Parade, an annual family picnic below Wawel. On a June weekend, huge, colourful dragon figures take over the city for two days.