The conceptions of socially engaged theatre according to Juliusz Osterwa

The author distinguishes three phases in Osterwa’s artistic development: the production of Uciekła mi przepióreczka ("My Little Quail Has Run Away") by Stefan Żeromski where the individuality of the creator and his creative idea coupled with the idea presented in the play, the activity of the touring Reduta (1924-1939), and the wartime conceptions of "Social Theatre." What Osterwa found so compelling in Żeromski’s work was the idea of regionalism and work at grass roots, and the character of Docent Przełęcki, played by the actor for years, became Osterwa’s spiritual patron. Osterwa treated tours with the Reduta, initiated in 1924, as a social mission. The aim was to promote and popularise Polish dramaturgy, to revive the intellectual life of the provinces, to educate and provide high-quality artistic entertainment for communities that did not have any local theatre. Osterwa founded an exemplary touring theatre, which had no precedent in the history of the Polish stage as far as its proportions, ambitions and the regularity of touring were concerned. Statistics cited in the article make one realise the sheer magnitude of the enterprise that stands out in the history of interwar-period theatre in Poland. During the Second World War, Osterwa worked on the conception of Social Theatre, a set ideas on how to organise provincial spectacles in a way that would enable Osterwa to establish a modern theatre for mass audiences. The project has never been realised, but it can be reconstructed based on Osterwa’s surviving notebooks and wartime diaries.