Run by the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute, polishstage.pl is an English-language platform dedicated to Polish theatre – its artists, emerging phenomena, and the topics driving public debate both in Poland and beyond.

Polishstage.pl is primarily an informational platform aimed at the international theatre and performance arts community. We examine the processes that shape Polish culture and art, situating them within the broader context of contemporary developments.

Content is published in thematic issues three times a year. Each issue is curated – topics are discussed and developed by the editorial team of the Theatre Institute, comprising Dorota Buchwald, Michał Centkowski, Anna Galas-Kosil, Krystyna Mogilnicka, Monika Pilch, Michał Smolis, and Maria Wojciechowska.

The first issue of polishstage.pl, titled Theatre Diasporas: The Belarusian and Ukrainian Cases is dedicated to theatre made by artists from Belarus and Ukraine, as well as by Polish artists who co-create it in response to a new political and social reality.

Poland’s cultural landscape has undergone a radical transformation over the past decade. Following political repression in Belarus in 2020 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many artists have found a new home in Poland. They exhibit their work in galleries and museums, perform in theatres and cultural centres, lead workshops and educational programmes, and participate in residency programmes organised by cultural institutions. Over the years, the presence of artists with the experience of migration and displacement has become interwoven with Polish culture, influencing its theatre, aesthetics and the themes that resonate on Polish stages.

We open the issue with an article by Anna Pajęcka titled “A One-off Gesture of Solidarity?” which explores the broader context of Belarusian and Ukrainian theatre artists’ presence in Poland. The text maps the scale and key initiatives of diasporas active in Poland.

It emerges that, despite being translated and published in Polish, Belarusian and Ukrainian literature and drama have seen very few productions on Polish stages. In her text “12 x Ukraine”, Liuba Ilnytska presents the most important contemporary Ukrainian plays and novels that could be successfully staged by theatres worldwide, inviting directors and artistic directors alike.

We have also chosen to publish a review by Zuzanna Kann-Skorupska of the performance “2049: Witaj, Abdo” (2049: Say Hi to Abdo), based on a play by the Belarusian author and director Mikita Ilyinchyk and set against the backdrop of the humanitarian crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border.

The issue closes with three interviews. The first is with Magda Szpecht, a Polish director, activist, and ‘cyber elf’, whose most recent productions are closely tied to her involvement in various initiatives, including mapping crimes committed against Russian soldiers in Ukraine. The second is a conversation with Belarusian actor and performer Igor Shugaleev, a permanent member of the Nowy Teatr company in Warsaw. The third is a podcast conversation with the actresses of “Matki. Pieśń na czas wojny” (Mothers. A Song for Wartime), a choral work directed by Marta Górnicka that brings together the shared experiences of women, mothers, and artists who have fled war and danger.

Table of contents of issue 1/2026:

Anna Pajęcka, “A One-off Gesture of Solidarity?”
“Steps Towards Freedom: Choreographing Resistance in Exile” – an interview with Igor Shugaleev by Monika Pilch
“Can Art Kill You?” – an interview with Magdą Szpecht by Piotr Dobrowolski
Liuba Ilnytska, “Twelve Ukrainian Stories Waiting to be Staged”
Michał Centkowski, Michał Smolis, “Names and Numbers”
Zuzanna Kann-Skorupska, “Bad Conscience”
Podcast “Singing Through Conflict” – Valeriia Obodianska and Elena Wojciechowska in conversation with Anna Galas-Kosil

Anna Pajęcka’s article was first published in Polish in Raptularz no. 109. Liuba Ilnytska’s article “12 x Ukraine” was first published in Polish in Teatr in May 2025, and Zuzanna Kann-Skorupska’s review first appeared in CzasKultury.pl, issue 12/2025.

We kindly invite you to explore the platform once it launches and draw inspiration from what matters in Polish theatre and performance arts. We hope this will become a shared space for the exchange of ideas and knowledge