Theatre Takes a Stand: Polish Participatory Theatre at the Turn of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries

Abstract

According to Borowski, the last decade in Polish theatre has been a time in which conventions previously tested in fringe theatre or in the increasingly popular medium of performance have been implemented in diverse ways. The aim has remained the same: to effectively challenge audiences to take active part in a theatrical event and to persuade them to openly express their reactions, or at least to allow themselves to become an integral part of the performance. Borowski analyses the attempts made by Polish theatre to activate spectators and to encourage them to collaborate and co-create theatrical events. He examines the problem against the wide background of the changes in Polish theatre in the last two decades. The buzzword ‘participation’ has become an important part of artists’ and cultural institutions’ action strategies, put into practice in various ways. The author analyses Monika Strzępka and Paweł Demirski’s play/social action Rainbow Stand 2012 in detail, pointing to the difficulties that participatory projects face in institutional theatres.