Description of the attraction
The Polish Theater named after Arnold Schiffman is a theater in Warsaw, opened at the initiative of the Polish playwright and theater director Arnold Schiffman.
In 1909, 27-year-old Arnold announced the idea of creating a drama theater in Warsaw. The atmosphere of the city was not conducive to this project - theaters and philharmonic societies were unprofitable, no one believed that the theater was capable of self-financing. In addition, many doubted that the young graduate would be able to organize everything properly. However, Arnold traveled to Europe to visit famous modern theaters. The preparatory work took two years, and the construction of the theater building took a year. The grand opening of the theater took place on January 29, 1913 with the production of Iridion by Zygmunt Krasinski. Despite the initial difficulties, the Polish theater quickly became the leading theater in the city with innovative equipment: the theater stage was revolving. It showed performances of Polish and foreign classics, modern drama. Contemporary Polish figures worked in the theater: Alexander Zelverovich, Jerzy Leszczynski, Kazimierz Stepowski, Maria Potocka.
During the Second World War, the theater was first captured by the Germans, and in 1944 it was completely burned down along with the costumes, a valuable library and decorations. Restoration work was carried out as soon as possible, the theater was reopened on January 17, 1946. The theater quickly regained its glory and greatness, however, the restorers could not achieve good acoustics. To this day, this is one of the main drawbacks of the theater.
Currently, the director of the theater is Andrzej Severin, who sets ambitious tasks for the staff, creating an interesting and complex repertoire.
In January 2013, the Polish theater was named after its founder, Arnold Schiffman.
