Crisis and Revolution: The Developing Aesthetics of the Theatre of the Eighth Day in the Early 1970s
Juliusz Tyszka
tyszkaj@amu.edu.plAdam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6801-5837
Abstract
This article concerns the activity of Poznań’s Theatre of the Eighth Day (Teatr Ósmego Dnia) between 1971 and 1975. The author argues that this was a critical period in its history, when the new ensemble redefined its working methods, its view of the theater’s mission, aesthetic and ideological principles, and strategies of establishing an understanding with the audience. Although not received favourably by critics, the performances Wizja lokalna (Inspection of a Scene of Crime, 1973) and Musimy poprzestać na tym, co nazwano rajem na ziemi (We Must Confine Ourselves to an Earthly Paradise, 1975) were crucial for the process of the theater’s transformation and arriving at solutions that resulted in a new look at the existential dimension of acting and the social role of theater. Based on an analysis of self-reflective memories of ensemble members, documents stored in the theater’s archives, and the reception of the two performances, the author reconstructs this process and presents its internal and external conditions.
Keywords:
Theatre of the Eighth Day, student theater, alternative theater, theatre ensemble, Polish People’s RepublicReferences
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Authors
Juliusz Tyszkatyszkaj@amu.edu.pl
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6801-5837
Juliusz Tyszka - Professor of Theater, Performance, and Cultural studies in the Institute of Cultural Studies at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan. Fulbright scholar at New York University (1992/1993), contributing editor of the "New Theatre Quarterly" (1999-2020). He lectured at Europäische Universität Viadrina, among others. Theater critic for Teatralny.pl (since 2013). His research focuses on performatics, contemporary theater, and theater theories of the 20th century.
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