Management
Director
Waldemar
Raźniak
Waldemar Raźniak
Contact: tel. 12 421 29 77 (secretariat)
This director, actor, and teacher was born in Moscow in 1982; in 2016–2019 he served as vice-rector of the Theatre Academy in Warsaw (in 2015/2016 as dean, and in 2014/2015 as vice-dean of the Acting Faculty); he was a Waldman Professor in Theatre Arts at Emerson College in Boston (USA, 2019); lecturer at the Dance Theatre Faculty of Krakow’s PWST National Academy of Theatre Arts (Distance Faculty in Bytom, 2011–2014); he graduated from the Directing Faculty at the Theatre Academy (2010), completed acting studies at the Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow (2006), cultural management at the Jagiellonian University (2006) and the “Singing in the Theatre” course at the Conservatoire for Music & Theatre in Guildford (Great Britain); he also did a director’s internship at the GITIS Russian Institute of Theatre Arts in Moscow, and won a humanities scholarship from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.
He made his debut with Maxim Gorky’s “Vassa Zheleznova” at Och-Teatr (with Krystyna Janda and Jerzy Trela in the starring roles, 2010); he has directed over twenty productions, including: the opera “Birdy” set to music by Karol Nepelski (Tete a Tete Festival London 2019); Jakub Gawatowic’s “Tragedy of Jan” (2018) and “A Study on Hamlets” with Tomasz Rodowicz (Chorea Theatre in Łódź, 2017); “Woman in the Mirror” by Piotr Domalewski (WFDiF, 2016); “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare (Białystock Puppet Theatre, 2015); “Othello” by William Shakespeare (W. Gombrowicz Theatre in Gdynia, 2015); the opera “Orlando Paladino” by Joseph Haydn (Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw – UMFC and AT, 2015); “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov (Collegium Nobilium Theatre in Warsaw, 2015); “The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery Wiliams (Guliwer Theatre in Warsaw, 2014); “Mad Joanna; The Queen” by Jolanta Janiczak (W. Gombrowicz Theatre in Gdynia, 2013); “Bordel Formidable! | Extravaganza” based on Ionesco/Krasiński, “Sawdust and Tinsel” by Ingmar Bergman (Collegium Nobilium Theatre in Warsaw, 2012), “Wet Weather Cover” by Oliver Cotton (Powszechny Theatre in Łódź, 2013); “Morphine” based on Yelena and Mikhail Bulgakov (Roma Musical Theatre in Warsaw, 2011), “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” based on Horace McCoy (WTT in Bytom, 2011), “Script for Three Actors” by Bogusław Schaeffer (W. Gombrowicz Theatre in Gdynia, 2010), “The Idiot” based on Fyodor Dostoevsky at the Collegium Nobilium Theatre (director’s diploma project, 2009); and an electronic opera of “Solaris” based on Stanisław Lem’s novel (Malta Theatre Festival in Poznań — New Situations, /Honorary Mention, 2008).
Apart from Russian literature and Shakespeare, he is interested in physical theatre, dance theatre, contemporary opera, and radio plays in the form of audiobooks (“Solaris,” “Fahrenheit 451” and “Fall of the Giants” for audioteka.pl). He has held acting workshops for students in the United States (UCLA, Emerson College), Germany (Festival Ruhrtriennale), China (Central Academy of Drama in Beijing), Mexico (UNAM), and Great Britain (Drama Studio London).
He has performed in productions at the Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow: “The Green Goose” directed by Marta Stebnicka, “Twelfth Night” directed by Jerzy Stuhr, “Mozart’s Vision” directed by Roman Gancarczyk, and “Richard III” directed by Jerzy Stuhr at the Ludowy Theatre in Krakow. He also performed in a series of Maciej Nowak’s “Non-Cabarets” at the Wybrzeże Theatre in Gdańsk, and in films such as Janusz Morgenstern’s “The Lesser Evil,” “Little Moscow,” and “80 million,” as well as Waldemar Krzystek’s “The Photographer.”
Vice-Director of Artistic Affairs
Beniamin.
M.
Bukowski
Beniamin M. Bukowski
Contact: beniamin.bukowski@stary.pl
A director, playwright and dramaturg, Bukowski graduated from the Interdepartmental Individual Humanities Studies Faculty of the Jagiellonian University (in philosophy and art history) and the Theatre Academy in Krakow (directing), and holds a PhD from the Institute of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University.
His script which has gained the most acclaim and has been performed many times is “The Incredible Limbourg Brothers”, a drama about medieval artists working in the time of a plague. The work won the Gdynia Alternative Audience Award, has seen multiple translations and stagings, and a film production as part of the Teatroteka series (Audience Award at the Teatroteka Fest festival and Silver Remi Award at the film festival in Houston). Another major success was the drama “Mazagan: The City”, which was translated and awarded in international competitions; “Jonasz”, a piece about Polish-Jewish avant-garde visual artist Jonasz Stern (performed as a radio play); “Marienplatz”, which premiered last year at Munich’s Residenztheater; and “Gombrowicz: The Thirteenth Lecture”, a monodrama staged in France. As a director, Bukowski’s most important achievements include his production of his own “Mosdorf: A Reconstruction” at the Nowy Theatre in Poznań (audience award at the m-teatr festival in Kalisz), the monodrama “Zofia” based on Anna Wakulik’s piece at the Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw, and such plays as “The Raise” (W. Bogusławski Theatre in Kalisz), “The Snow Queen” (A. Fredro Theatre in Gnieźno), and the above-mentioned productions of “The Incredible Limbourg Brothers” (Teatroteka WFDiF) and “Mazagan” (Żydowski Theatre in Krakow). As a dramaturg, Bukowski works regularly in a creative duo with Katarzyna Kalwat (in “Staff Only”, “Walser: I would prefer not to”, the “Maria Klassenberg” series, and others), and has also worked with András Dömötör, Judyta Berłowska, Joanna Grabowiecka, Magdalena Piekorz, Tomek Kaczorowski, Jagoda Madej and Julia Szmyt.
He has won upwards of a dozen dramaturgical and directing awards, including the Competition for Staging a Polish Contemporary Play, Gdynia Dramaturgical Audience Award, Silver Remi Award at the film festival in Houston, second place in the international Talking About Borders competition organized by the Staatstheater in Nuremburg, audience awards at Teatroteka Fest, and the audience award at the youth m-teatr festival in Koszalin. He is a winner of the Theatre Institute program in Warsaw (“Tree of Knowledge” project), Teatroteka WFDiF and ZAiKS scholarships, and the Polish Competition for a Play for Children and Young People at the Children’s Art Centre in Poznań (2nd and 3rd places).
Published and performed in Poland and abroad, his works have been translated into English, French, German, Belarussian, Ukrainian and Georgian. His scholarships have included the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (Young Poland program), the Nowy Theatre in Warsaw, Residenztheater in Munich.
In France he regularly works with translator Agnieszka Zgieb, who has so far translated three of his works: “The Incredible Limbourg Brothers”, “Jonasz” and “Gombrowicz: The Thirteenth Lecture”. The first two plays have also appeared in book form. The translation of “The Incredible Limbourg Brothers” received the Centre Antoine Vitez award for best translation of a foreign drama in France (2017) and was presented as a dramatic reading at the Festival in Avignon. The French version of the Gombrowicz monodrama, in turn, premiered in Paris, performed by Carlo Brandt.
At the National Stary Theatre he has directed “The Arians”.
Vice Director of Technical and Administrative Affairs
Dariusz
Barszczewski
Dariusz Barszczewski
Contact: tel. 12 421 29 77 (office)
Barszczewski is an architectural engineer, a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture and City Planning at Krakow Polytechnic (1994) with postgraduate studies in International Investment Organisation Procedures based on the FIDIC at the Wrocław University of Technology (2019). In 2015–21 he worked at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow as the vice director of the Economics and Administration Department, and then as the Head Investments Specialist.
Previously (in 2008–15), he ran his own architectural bureau, developing projects for private individuals and working with large partners, both private and budget institutions.
In 1996–2008 he held various posts at the PPU ILKUS Co. Ltd. construction company, moving up from production specialist to vice director.
He has finished a wide range of professional courses, in finance, contracts, public commissions law, and periodic building management.
Head Accountant
Head Accountant
Contact: tel. 12 421 77 33 mail: alina.nowak@stary.pl
Alina Nowak has been an employee of the National Stary Theater since 1987. In the years following her graduation from the Krakow University of Economics in Organization and Management, she was employed at Krakow Press Publishers. On 02.01.1987 she was employed at the Stary Theater. In 1987–1991 she served as deputy accountant, and for twenty-three years she has been head accountant of the institution. She has worked with directors Stanisław Radwan, Tadeusz Bradecki, Krystyna Meissner, Jerzy Bińczycki, Jerzy Koenig, Mikołaj Grabowski, Jan Klata, Marek Mikos and presently Waldemar Raźniak. Over her thirty years of work she has received many awards from the various directors. In 2014 she received the Merit to Polish Culture honorary award from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Office
Office
Monika Chyla – Assistant
tel. 12 421 29 77 ; tel. 12 422 80 20 lub 12 422 85 66, wew. 110 fax 12 421 33 53 e-mail: sekretariat@stary.pl