For over 240 years of its existence, our institution has set the aesthetic and philosophical directions of not only polish but also european theatre. This is where Tadeusz Kantor, Konrad Swinarski, Andrzej Wajda, Jerzy Jarocki, Krystian Lupa, and today, Ewelina Marciniak, Łukasz Twarkowski and Anna Smolar, among others, have created.

Searching for new theatrical languages is a crucial part of the history of this place and one of the goals that guide the direction Dorota Ignatjew and Jakub Skrzywanek, in collaboration with Dorota Semenowicz, started in September 2024. Our aim is to open a multi voiced conversation about community, both local and European, making the programme of the National Stary Theatre nationally, culturally and generationally diverse.

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In the season 2025/2026, we have seven new productions, present altogether 45 performances, including Olga Ciężkowskaʼs  The Indomitable Love of Eve Adams and Jakub Skrzywanekʼs  Attack on the National Stary Theatre. The Birth of the Nation.

The former opened a new direction presenting a true story of a Polish-Jewish lesbian immigrant in the US who wrote what might be the first ethnography of American lesbian life. As a result, she was deported to Europe. Lara Wenzel wrote about this performance enthusiastically in Theater der Zeit after presenting the play at Generation After 9. Showcase.

The second one refers to the fictive national tragedy to focus on the way it is lived through personally and collectively, also in the media, within 10 years. The performance is also a theatrical manifesto of a new artistic director as Stary means ‘oldʼ in Polish.

For this season we have scheduled the premieres of Polish theatre directors Michał Borczuch, Maciej Podstawny, Piotr Domalewski, Elsa Revcolevschi, Remigiusz Brzyk. We will also host François Chaignaud, Choy Ka Fai and Philippe Quesne who start the rehearsal for the premieres scheduled for upcoming years.

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Apart from performances we propose also a rich and complex educational programme and international conference organised by Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. PREMIERES As the slogan for this season is  • YOU BELONG HERE • , we open the 25/26 season with the Maciej Podstawny’s performance BANKRUPTCY OF LITTLE JACK based on Janusz Korczakʼs book for children. The production about resourcefulness, communication, and… money will be presented as well at the theatre headquarters in Krakow as in the smaller cities where the access to culture is reduced. We believe the mission of the national theatre is to be accessible to everyone.

The first premiere for adults will be PYRAMID OF ANIMALS by Michał Borczuch, inspired by the Katarzyna Kozyra’s sculpture of the same title. Kozyra rose to prominence in the 1990s as a leading figure of the ‘critical artʼ movement in Poland. Her sculpture triggered notorious scandals in 1993 and then again in 1996, becoming the most discussed artistic work in Poland after its political transformation. In his performance Michał Borczuch will focus on the social role of the artist as a commentator on reality.

In January, Piotr Domalewski, a film director known for his award winning film Silent Night and winner of this year’s Polish Film Festival in Gdynia for his film The Altar Boys, will present the performance CLOSE YOUR EYES NEL. IN DESERT AND IN WILDERNESS EPILOGUE. Domalewski, directing in the theatre for the first time, will examine Polish colonial imaginary and dreams of power of the beginning of the 20th century, juxtaposing them with an intimate family story full of warmth and humor.

In March, Elsa Revcolevschi, a French director who has just graduated from directing at the Strasbourg National School of Theatre Arts which is a part of the French National Theatre of Strasbourg, will present a performance intitled STILL LIFES. She will explore the issue of transformation and appropriation of the memory referring to the writing of Jana Černá, Rachel Auerbach, and Imre Kertész, among others. Elsa will be the first foreign resident at the National Stary Theatre.

In April, Jakub Skrzywanek, artistic director of the NST, will present a shocking portrait of loneliness and addiction in his adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr.’s REQUIEM FOR A DREAM.

At the end of the season, Remigiusz Brzyk and Paweł Demirski will present HAMLET. ADOPTION, that is a personal performance about fatherhood, emptiness, and contemporary male identity.

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INTERNATIONAL STARY THEATRE

Even though their premieres are scheduled for the next year, François Chaignaud, Choy Ka Fai and Philippe Quesne are beginning their rehearsals in the Stary already in the first part of ongoing season. These visits are intended to familiarize them with the functioning of a repertory and ensemble theater and to identify possible areas of contact between the artists’ practice and the character of the Krakow ensemble.

Our aim is to build solid relationships with the invited artists, based on trust and understanding, especially since they operate at the intersection of different arts, in other structures of the performing arts. In Spring 2026, we will host an international conference organized by Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The event will bring together members of The Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics The Lab. The conference responds to the urgent needs of the present day, bringing together artists and change makers from different regions who use theatre as a catalyst for civic dialogue.

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AROUND THE STAGE

The National Stary Theatre runs numerous educational activities and workshops for children, teenagers, and adults. In the new season weʼll be celebrating the 10th anniversary of MICET, that is a unique interactive museum-archive, where everybody may design their own costumes, take part in a warm-up with the Stary theatre actors and even create a whole performance choosing the set, lights, music and performing on stage. The recording may be then sent on the visitorʼs email. Within the frame of the MICET, we also organize temporary exhibitions, master classes with actors, workshops, and guided tours.

This season we also propose a diverse program of dance events, including “parties” with Gaga People, WenDo, yoga, Silent Disco, Kids Rave, as well as choreography and dance workshops and meetings devoted to dance dramaturgy.

We develop a dramaturgical residency program supporting the professional development of two young playwrights, and a series of playwrighting workshops “Year 2081”. The results will be presented in public in the form of performative readings and during the showcase of the new Polish drama, organized in cooperation with the Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow.

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We wish the word „national” meant common, seeking similarities and accepting differences. For us THE NATIONAL STARY THEATRE IS A THEATRE WHERE YOU MAY FEEL AT HOME.

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We will be more than happy if you decide to be a part of this community. If you think about visiting us, please contact Customer Service Office so that we could help you to select the performances with English subtitles and book tickets.

More about performances with English subtitles CHECK HERE

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Photo: Natalia Kabanow // Attack on the National Stary Theatre. The Birth of a Nation directed by Jakub Skrzywanek