In the 1940s, the director of the Cieszyn Theatre was Josef Zajic, a great supporter of Polish theatre and culture. As a result of his cooperation with the director of the theatre in Bielsko-Biała, Aleksander Gąssowski, he started an initiative to organise the Polish Stage, which was to function at the Těšín Theatre.

Thanks to the involvement of the Polish Cultural and Educational Association in Czechoslovakia and Polish artists (among others W. Woźnik, R. Feniuk), Josef Zajic received official permission to launch the stage, which began operating on 14 October 1951. Władysław Niedoba was responsible for organising the group on behalf of the PZKO Main Board. The seat of the Stage was a building on Strzelnicza Street, while performances were held at the Piast Hotel.

In more than 70 seasons, the Polish Stage has presented more than 470 premieres, including works for children and young people, classics, dramas, comedies, as well as Czech and Polish literature. The ensemble currently consists of 16 members, presents 5 premieres per season, with around 120 performances. The Polish Stage travels with performances both in the Czech Republic and Poland, but also visits other countries, including Slovakia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Austria.

The Polish Stage is the only fully professional Polish theatre operating outside the country, financed by the authorities of the country in which it is based. The theatre plays an important role in preserving and transmitting Polish cultural heritage, and with its own activities it also performs educational tasks and maintains knowledge of the Polish language in Zaolzie.

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Film produced by the Olza Pro Association

Year of production: 2023

Film editing: Marek Konieczny, Jozef Szymeczek, Luděk Ondruška

Published with permission of the Olza Pro Association