Acting in Socialist Realism: Postulates and Practice

Małgorzata Niecikowska

Abstract

The year 1949 was a breakthrough in Polish theatre because of the official recognition of Socialist realism as a binding doctrine. Eugeniusz Cękalski’s film Two Brigades and A Premiere in Borucice, a play by Aleksander Baumgarten and Karol Słotwinski, became the exemplar of suggested changes. The actor was a major element in the theory of theatre of Socialist realism. The actor was required to identify with the Marxist ideology (he was supposed to be a “propaganda megaphone”) as well as with heroes, representatives of the working class (workers and peasants). In demand were actors whose appearance matched the types of “people’s” heroes. Actors with “ideologically alien” types of beauty were “sentenced” to roles of saboteurs, spies and enemies. The actor was required to apply extremely realistic, almost naturalistic means of expression. Fortunately for actors and theatre, the doctrine was not feasible as it was internally contradictory. In a way, Socialist realism programmed actor’s emploi for years. Most prominent actors and actresses, including Tadeusz Łomnicki, Ryszarda Hanin, Antonina Gordon-Górecka and Barbara Rachwalska, treated the period of time as a challenge, a kind of assignment to practise their acting technique.