Ewa Pilawska on challenges to Polish theatre at the C0-Congress for Culture

On 8 November 2024, at the Co-Congress for Culture (współKongres Kultury) in Warsaw there was a discussion „(Re)form of a cultural institution – public, community, private” in which Ewa Pilawska, president of the Union of Polish Theatres and director of Powszechny Theatre in Łódź, took part.      

The following guests also took part in the debate: Alina Gałązka – financial director of Komuna Theatre Warszawa, Aleksandra Matuszczyk – director of City Museum of Tychy, Piotr Rypson – historian of visual culture and literature, head of the Department of Cultural Heritage in the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and Maria Seweryn – actress and theatre director, president of the Union of Independent Theatres. The discussion was moderated by Artur Jóźwik, head of the Department of Culture of the City of Warsaw.            

NEW  LAW: Ewa Pilawska pointed out that the law which regulated the functioning of institutions of culture needed to be changed.  – In the Union of Polish Theatres we have been talking about a need for a new act on theatres or a chapter devoted to theatres in a new act on conducting cultural activity for a long time. We have thought a document should be developed and it would become a beginning to the talks with the lawmaker – Ewa Pilawska said. – Together with the Association of Theatre Directors we have prepared a material for a new law. We sent it for consultations to the Guild of Theatre Directors and to the Union of Polish Actors, asking for their reflexions and postulates – the union’s president added. Ewa Pilawska emphasized that she cared for working out a mutual law by the theatre environment which would take into account the specific needs of Polish theatre.               

She also talked about legal arrangements and practices of the theatres which were mentioned during the debate.

COMPETITIONS: - In general I am a supporter of competitions but I am also an outright opponent of such competitions when in December everybody knows the results of the competition which would be published in March. Either we are honest or hypocrites – Ewa Pilawska said. She is in favour of competitions provided they are transparent. 

FEE  EARNINGS: - Payment for actors working on their roles should let them focus only on their work. Recently we have not been talking about art but about a slalom how to obey rules – Ewa Pilawska said. – We should be financially secure to be able to focus on art.            

TEAMS’  CONTRACTS. According to president Ewa Pilawska, the problem of contracts for all persons working in theatres should be discussed and analyzed. All the time we have had disparities. Some time ago actors had contracts while theatre directors as well as technical and administrative teams had indefinite time contracts. Nowadays the theatre directors have contracts while actors, technical and administrative teams have indefinite time contracts. Both situations disturb balance between the director and the team, they also reduce possibilites of free constructing of the team as well as of engaging young actresses and actors. At the same time – as Ewa Pilawska noticed – one should think about the risk of limited-time contracts for the teams. The risk is that such institutions, where the whole teams are engaged for a limited time, may appear the first to be closed down or „retrained” should the administrator want it.              

MUTUAL  ACTION: - In our theatre environment we are antagonized, divided. We often talk of violence in theatre, pointing out at the theatre directors but such a narration may be moved to violent stage directors, actors – the union president said. In her opinion such mechanisms of mutual accusing cause an artificial division of the enviroment and prevent working together for the good of the environment.     

AUDIENCE. Ewa Pilawska noticed that in the process of making law for the theatre and thinking of the theatre one should not forget about the audience otherwise the theatre would close itself up in an airtight bubble. – If the house is empty the fault always lies with us – she said. 

THEATRE  BUDGET. During the discussion with the participation of the audience Piotr Gruszczyński, deputy president of the Union of Polish Theatres pointed out to the problem of lack of clear information on the amount of special subsidy in the directors’ contracts. Such practice makes it impossible to plan the budget and the result is the inability to develop the institution, to plan premieres and repertoire.      

The whole debate is available on YouTube.