Returning to the ‘Plebeian’ Roots of Comedy: Contemporary Political Theatre in Poland
In: World Political Theatre and PerformanceSearch for other papers by Aneta Głowacka in
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Abstract
After offering an overview of political theatre in Poland, the author discusses several works by three contemporary practitioners – collaborators Monika Strzępka and Paweł Demirski, and Jan Klata – discovering connections to the ‘plebeian’ roots of comedy in the poetics of their productions. Strzępka, Demirski and Klata have pushed the boundaries of ‘good taste’ in Poland through provocative aesthetic choices; they have also introduced hitherto rejected elements of popular culture to the stage, reinterpreted the classics and undermined dominant interpretations of Polish history. Tracing the plebeian comedic tradition from its ancient origins through to current cabaret forms, the essay argues that the carnivalesque ‘world upside down’ created on stage and the laughter prompted by this type of performance have a subversive potential that can lead to social change.