The Polish parliament declared 2015 “THE YEAR OF PUBLIC THEATRE” in order to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the first performance by the National Theatre, founded in Warsaw by King Stanisław August Poniatowski.
Throughout the year, quality events are planned, notably the MODULES OF THE POLISH THEATRE DAYS (a cycle of classes and interactive workshops on the subject of Polish theatre) and especially POLSKA NEW THEATRE, an international meeting of young theatre connoisseurs who want to broaden their contacts in, and knowledge of, Polish theatre.
+++ www.polskanewtheatre.com

27 March is World Theatre Day. To mark the occasion, a message is sent each year to audiences the world over. This year, Krzysztof WARLIKOWSKI is the man behind the message. The text, which has been translated into more than twenty languages, will be read on stages all over the world.

+++ Download the text and get it translated HERE
+++ More about The Year of Public Theatre

International Theatre Day is an initiative organised by the International Theatre Institute (ITI), the biggest global organisation dedicated to the dramatic arts. Founded in 1948 by UNESCO and an international group of experts in theatre and dance, the ITI aims to encourage international exchanges, support artistic endeavour and fight all forms of discrimination.
Amongst the authors who have written a message, one can cite John Malkovich, Robert Lepage, Tankred Dorst, Vaclav Havel, Peter Brook, Eugène Ionesco, Luchino Visconti, Pablo Neruda, Dimitrii Chostakovitch and Arthur Miller.

On 19 November 1765, the first performance by the Warsaw National Theatre took place. The theatre had been founded by King Stanisław August Poniatowski. This date is viewed as the starting point in the history of Polish public theatre. It is not the only theatre-related anniversary that Poland is commemorating this year: it is also celebrating the 130th anniversary of the birth of Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Tadeusz Kantor. Theatrical events will be held all year in Poland. Just one example is the Theatre Encounters in Warsaw, which will take place until 1 April.
The main organiser of the festivities linked to the 250th anniversary of the Public Theatre in Poland is the Ministry for Culture and National Heritage. The events are being coordinated by the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute in Warsaw. Founded in 2003, this institution aims to collect documentation on theatre life in Poland and study the history of Polish theatre, including its contemporary forms.
+++ More about the festivities on http://www.250teatr.pl/ (English version under construction)

You can see a digital exhibition which retraces the history of Public Theatre in Poland by clicking on the image below: