A graduate of the Ludwik Solski Academy for the Dramatic Arts – the Acting Department in Wrocław /1996/

1.12.2023 Helena Modrzejewska National Stary Theatre in Krakow

“She has a freshness and true courage, without a hint of routine. It sometimes seems she begins emotionally exploring her characters where others stop. Maybe her acting is still a bit rough on the edges, but the intensity of her role in Marciniak’s play makes her hard to compare—she is different, and that is devilishly fascinating,” Jacek Wakar (jacekwakar.pl) wrote, reacting to “My Brilliant Friend” (dir. Ewelina Marciniak). This actress, who joined the Stary Theatre ensemble in the 2023/2024 season and made her debut in the role of Lila Cerullo, also won the hearts of other critics, including Tomasz Domagała: “And Staniec plays all of Lila’s despair in a way we never see in the theatre. When she stared teary-eyed at Elena and says: you can go. (…) I admit this story blew me away, I can’t get over that scene” (domagalasiekultury.pl).

Staniec gained widespread recognition in plays by Wiktor Rubin and Jola Janiczak. Witold Mrozek wrote of her Barbara Zdunk, the main protagonist of “No One Will Believe Me Anyway” (Fredro Theatre in Gniezno), with the greatest esteem: “Karolina Staniec as Barbara alternately ‘grapples’ with the role and ‘enters’ it, shifting from playing with the convention to compelling and even physical touches. (…) She cannot be reduced to a victim, but nor can her suffering be ignored” (dwutygodnik.com). Other reviewers’ comments also testify to the power of her creation: “Barbara wants nothing specific from us, no conscious playing around on stage, nor any games with the audience, she is only WITH us (and that’s a lot)” (Tomasz Domagała, domagalasiekultury.pl) and “In this remarkable creation there is as much unfulfillment as inconceivable strength. (…) This is a great role” (Dawid Dudko, kultura.onet.pl). Nor was it possible to ignore her interpretation of Rosemary in “The Curse of the Kennedy Family” (Żeromski Theatre in Kielce) by the same duo of directors, of which Michał Centkowski wrote: “The only lively creature here is Rosemary—brilliantly portrayed by Karolina Staniec (…). The whole play, in fact, is a bitter monologue by Rosemary” (Newsweek Polska). In “Anthill: From the Life of a Good Servant,” in turn, as Piotr Dobrowolski wrote in Czas Kultury: “Karolina Staniec as Gosia—once again guest-starring on Gniezno’s stage with a phenomenal rendition of a socially stigmatized victim, brilliantly showing the grace, determination, and helplessness of her character.”

The actress was also noted by Jacek Sieradzki, who singled her out in his annual Subjective List of Theatre Actors, pointing to her role in Rubin’s plays: “She has no trace of the victim who might be expected from the fates of her characters. She is a big, strong young woman (in whom a little girl sometimes speaks out), with her stance and actions she demands the right to live as she will, to be free. She does not get hysterical, does not want an ounce of mercy, she is seductively independent in everything she does. (…) It will be interesting to see her in other roles” (e-teatr.pl). She has twice been singled out by Teatr magazine for best female role (in “My Brilliant Friend” and “No One Will Believe Me Anyway”). In 2021 she was nominated for a Polityka Passport in the Theatre category.

AWARDS

2021 Honorary mention for the role of Barbara Zdunk in “No One Will Believe Me Anyway,” KONTRAPUNKT FESTIVAL – Retrospective of Small Format Plays

2021 Award for the role of Barbara Zdunk in “No One Will Believe Me Anyway,” 27th Competition for Staging Polish Contemporary Plays

2021 Award for the role of Rosemary Kennedy in “The Curse of the Kennedy Family,” 27th Competition for Staging Polish Contemporary Plays

2022 Award for the role of Zofia Stefaniak in “Anthill: From the Life of a Good Servant,” 21st Stage Reality Festival of Contemporary Dramaturgy