The Municipal Theatre on the threshold of independence (1918-1919)

Mariola Szydłowska

Abstract

The article discusses the activity of the Municipal Theatre in Lviv in the season of 1918/1919, putting it in the context of momentous political events. The Lviv stage was managed by Roman Żelazowski, the first theatre manager to come after the theatre had been taken over by the municipal administration. Stanisław Niewiadomski assisted Żelazowski as Musical Director. The new theatre management commenced their work with the intention of restoring the stage to its former glory, and their first productions met with favourable response from both the audiences and the critics. The ambitious artistic plans, however, failed due to the Ukrainian coup d’état. For the time of November fights in defence of Polish Lviv, the theatre suspended its operations, and many of the theatre artists volunteered for army duty. Following the final victory on 1 December, the theatre recommenced its operation with a staging of the patriotic play Obrona Częstochowy (‘The Defence of Częstochowa’), which, although almost half a century old, took on new relevance. It became homage to the youngest defenders of Lviv, the brave “Eaglets.” The fighting still going on at the outskirts kept disorganising the theatre’s work. As a result of a power cut just before the New Year, the theatre remained inoperative for almost a month. Żelazowski and Niewiadomski resigned on 30 June 1919. Even though the war had thwarted their ambitious plans, the Municipal Theatre they headed played an important social and patriotic role. In these dramatic and momentous times, the Lviv stage did speak to the heart of the nation, just as its founder, Jan Nepomucen Kamiński, had envisaged.