The Modjeska Theatre in Legnica
The theatre in Legnica is housed in a building built 180 years ago according to a design of Carl Ferdinand Langhans. The Polish professional theatre has been operating there since 1977 and since 1999 it has borne the name of the great Polish actress Helena Modrzejewska (1840 - 1909), known overseas as Helena Modjeska.
The Modjeska Theatre participates in all of the most important Polish competitions and festivals, winning prestigious awards. It also presents its performances abroad (Czech Republic, Germany - Heidelberger Stückemarkt, the United Kingdom - Fringe Festival, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Moldova, etc.). In 2006, the Theatre went on an artistic tour to the USA, in 2009 - to Russia and Siberia, in 2013 it visited Argentina and in 2014 - Turkey.
In 2016, the premiere of the play Przerwana Odyseja took place, which the Modjeska Theatre produced with the Macedonian National Theatre in Skopje. The play was presented on important stages both in Macedonia and Poland. In 2019, together with the artists of the Ilia Chavchavadze State Drama Theatre in Batumi (Georgia), the company from Legnica created a play entitled Klasyczna Koprodukcja, exploring Georgian-Polish historical ties as well as similarities and differences between Georgian and Polish perceptions of the world.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced theatres to limit their activities, the Modjeska Theatre presented online premieres, in the form of both plays – Boccacio’s The New Decameron, E-migrant, Chlebem i Solą, and a five-episode theatrical science-fiction series 5.0 – and dramatised readings.
The Modjeska Theatre specialises in presenting “true stories in true places”, meaning performing in spaces that are unusual for theatre, such as old factory halls, a disused church or a ruined cinema. These stories often relate to Legnica and Lower Silesia, contributing to the identity of the city and the region. An important role in the Theatre's artistic output is also played by stagings of William Shakespeare's plays (awarded at The Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival) and world premieres of contemporary Polish dramas, often written especially for the stage in Legnica. The theatre's productions frequently address current social issues and are widely discussed. As the only professional theatre in the city, the Modjeska Theatre is obliged to produce performances for all audience groups, including the youngest children.
Among the Modjeska Theatre's productions, the following are worth mentioning: Ballada o Zakaczawiu (2000, TV version 2002), Wschody i Zachody Miasta (2003, TV version 2005), Made in Poland (2004, TV version 2005), Othello (2006), Łemko (2007), Czas terroru (2010), III Furie (2011, TV version 2012), Orkiestra (2011, TV version 2013), Droga śliska od traw. Jak to diabeł w wsi się przeszedł (2013), Car Samozwaniec, czyli polskie na Moskwie gody (2015), Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (2018), Fanny and Alexander (2020). As can be seen from this list, the Theatre has had numerous productions made for television (most recently a live broadcast of Zabijanie Gomułki for TVP Kultura in October 2018). In this regard, it is one of the leaders in Poland.
The Theatre organised the International Theatre Festival "Miasto" (City) in Legnica (2007, 2009), recognised as the most interesting cultural event in Lower Silesia in 2007. The original concept of this event was that guest theatre companies would produce premieres in non-theatrical spaces of the city of Legnica. Among the invited groups were theatres from Poland, Latvia, Georgia, Hungary, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Russia and the USA.
Various cultural and social events (such as concerts, meetings with authors, etc.) take place on the initiative of the Theatre's artists and with Theatre’s great participation. Their scope often goes beyond the stage, as in the case of, for example, the First Great Congress of Citizens of Legnica (2004) or the conference named 20 years after, devoted to reflection on the historical presence of the Soviet troops in Legnica and Poland (2013).
The Modjeska Theatre offers educational activities for all age groups and for the intellectually disabled people. In response to the wave of refugees from Ukraine invaded by Russia, the Modjeska Theatre also organises activities for Ukrainian children.
The actors from Legnica not only perform inTheatre’s productions, but also write plays, direct (in and outside Legnica), sing, and engage in social activities. Both they and other artists of the Modjeska Theatre have won prestigious awards for their work.
The Theatre's director Jacek Głomb is the recipient of many awards and distinctions for his artistic and social activity. In 2013 he was awarded the European Citizen’s Prize, granted by the European Parliament. He is the founder and head of the Naprawiacze Świata ("the Repairers of the World") Foundation, which aim is to “activate the local community to undertake civic activities and help other non-governmental organisations and informal groups to implement their ideas and projects”.
