Polish theatre has often offered a platform for performances of freedom, but the idea of what freedom means has shifted in Poland over the past few decades given its changing sociopolitical and ideological circumstances. In his monograph, Bryce Lease looks at Polish theatre after the fall of Communism in 1989, also the year in which the country finally won its independence. As Lease rightly points out, with this new status came a desire to redefine Polishness and, in certain circles, to create a sense of ‘Polish homogeneity’ (p. 15). This, in turn, gave the opportunity for new performances and definitions of freedom. As once pointed out by Dariusz Kosiński in his Teatra polskie: Historie (Polish Theatres: Histories), Polish identity is highly theatrical and built on spectacle (p. 21). Lease explores how Polish professional theatre engaged with identities that had been sidelined by the dominant and homogenizing patriarchal discourses of freedom after Poland overthrew Communism.
Lease's main argument is that the key role of political theatre lies in its subversive potential to permanently challenge and destabilize situations that promote a particular and essentialist view of cultural identity. Providing a very useful contextualization, Lease's Introduction clarifies his scholarly and political standpoints and gives an overview of the book. It also raises the problem of reading Polish theatre from a Western point of view and explains how the matter will be addressed in the monograph. The seven chapters that follow the introduction offer an in-depth and engaging examination of neo-liberalism, Polish Romanticism, gender, Polish-Jewish history, and post-colonialism.
The volume provides English-speaking readers with an outlook on selected practices in contemporary Polish theatre, also considering their reception, scholarly discussion and broader social–political and cultural circumstances. It is very valuable that Lease offers his readers access to a number of key Polish theatre critics’ and academic voices. The directors discussed in the book include Krzysztof Warlikowski (who plays a central role), Jerzy Grzegorzewski, Anna Augustynowicz, Grzegorz Jarzyna, Krystian Lupa and the duet Monika Strzępka and Paweł Demirski. Lease also includes members of the younger generation such as Weronika Szczawińska and Bartosz Frąckowiak and looks at some examples of works outside Warsaw and Kraków. After ’89 will benefit researchers and students in theatre, performance and cultural studies. For political scientists, it may provide a good contextualization to the important position that theatre plays in the current crisis of democracy in Poland. Lease's Introduction and the opening sections of the chapters will serve as examples of good practice for students approaching less familiar cultural contexts.
The author enjoys a unique vantage point in relation to Polish theatre. On the one hand, he benefits from the distanced outlook; on the other hand, his admirable efforts to learn Polish and engage with Polish critical thought protect him from what he calls a Western-centric approach. Building on this perspective, After ’89 could have changed how the stories of contemporary Polish theatre are told within the English-speaking world. In this sense, however, Lease's monograph is a missed opportunity. Although the book considers some marginalized voices in Polish theatre, it mostly discusses dominant figures (especially abroad) like Warlikowski and male directors in general. Such a selection overlooks important voices coming from puppetry theatre, such as Wrocławski Teatr Lalek, and key female voices, such as playwright Julia Holewińska or director Agnieszka Glińska. Lease states that After ’89 is not a survey of contemporary Polish theatre (p. 8); however, the absence of Jacek Głomb and his Modjeska's Theatre from the city of Legnica leaves an important gap. From 1992, Głomb has played a fundamental role in changing the political, social and geographical landscapes of Polish theatre. Moreover, the chapter on Polish–Jewish relations makes no mention of the Jewish Theatre in Warsaw. A reader familiar with Polish politics will find some oversimplifications and errors, such as the discussion on the Polish left and right (p. 45), which suggests too simple an equation between the political landscape and parliamentary seats in the 1990s. Platforma Obywatelska is also a centre-right party, and not centre-left as the author says (p. 72).
Nevertheless, this is an exciting and interesting book that brings some key developments in contemporary Polish theatre to the forefront of English-speaking theatre, culture and politics scholarship. With a new Polish Theatre Journal and online initiatives like Encyklopedia Teatru Polskiego (in Polish, but with video recordings of selected productions), Polish Theatre Perspectives, and international projects like TheTheatreTimes.com, there are more ways than ever for English-speakers to engage with Polish theatre. Lease's volume is an important addition to this landscape.
