In common with other European countries, the most frequent and most popular form of theatre in Poland is dramatic theatre, based on the existence of stable artistic companies. It is above all a theatre of directors, who decide on the form of its productions and the appearance of individual scenes. There is no strict division in Poland between theatre and film directors and actors, therefore many stage artists are known to theatre goers from films of Andrzej Wajda, for example: Wojciech Pszoniak, Daniel Olbrychski, Krystyna Janda, Jerzy Radziwiłowicz, and from films of Krzysztof Kieślowski, actors such as Jerzy Stuhr, Janusz Gajos and others.
Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, commonly known as Witkacy, was a Polish writer, painter, philosopher, theorist, playwright, novelist, and photographer active before World War I and during the interwar period.
Oumou Sangaré is a Grammy Award-winning Malian Wassoulou musician of Fulani or Fula descent. She is often referred to as "The Songbird of Wassoulou". Wassoulou is a historical region south of the Niger River, where the music descends from age-old traditional song, often accompanied by a calabash.
The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. The theatre company focuses primarily on plays from the Shakespeare canon, but its seasons include works by other classic playwrights such as Euripides, Ibsen, Wilde, Shaw, Schiller, Coward and Tennessee Williams. The company manages and performs in two spaces: The Michael R. Klein Theatre and Sidney Harman Hall. In cooperation with George Washington University, they run the STC Academy.
Elżbieta Justyna Czyżewska was a Polish actress active in both Poland and the United States.
Stefan Niedziałkowski mime artist, author, director, teacher and choreographer.
Kazimierz Dejmek was a Polish actor, theatre and film director, and politician. During his career he managed the New Theatre in Łódź, the National Theatre, Warsaw, and the Teatr Polski, Warsaw. From 1993 to 1996 he served as Poland's Minister of Culture. In 1984 Dejmek was awarded the Witkacy Prize - Critics' Circle Award and in 1989 the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, one of his country's highest honours.
Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival is an international theatre festival devoted to the idea of the Elizabethan theatre, and especially to the works of William Shakespeare. The event was first organized in 1993, on the initiative of Theatrum Gedanense Foundation, which had been created by Professor Jerzy Limon and Władysław Zawistowski, with Charles, Prince of Wales as its patron. Its original name, "Gdańsk Shakespeare Days" was transformed into "Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival" in 1997, during the celebration of Gdańsk's millennium.
Dialogue ONE is an international theatre festival of one-person theatre. Its founder and artistic director is Omar Sangare, actor and professor at Williams College.
The Polish National Ballet is the largest and most influential ballet company in Poland. It continues a ballet heritage, dating to the 17th century.
United Solo Theatre Festival is the world's largest solo theatre festival. It takes place at Theatre Row on 42nd Street in New York City. Its founder and artistic director is Omar Sangare. The festival presents many categories of solo shows, including storytelling, puppetry, dance, multimedia, improvisations, stand-up, magic, drama, and comedy. Since its inaugural edition, the Festival raises money for The Actors Fund.
Henryk Baranowski was a Polish theatre, opera and film director, actor, stage designer, playwright, screenwriter, and poet. He is best known for his starring role in the film Dekalog: One directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, and also appeared as Rosa's brother Josef in Rosa Luxemburg directed by Margarethe von Trotta and as Napoleon in Pan Tadeusz directed by Andrzej Wajda. He directed over 60 theater and opera productions in Europe, Russia and the US and was the Artistic Director of the Teatr Śląski in Katowice in the mid 2000s. He also directed four "television theatre" productions: ...yes I will Yes, For Phaedra (1998), Saint Witch (2003), and Night is the Mother of Day (2004).
Krzysztof Warlikowski is a Polish theatre director. He is the creator and artistic director of Nowy Teatr in Warsaw.
Kazimierz Braun is a Polish director, writer, and scholar.
Jonathan Judge-Russo is an American actor and producer. He has acted on television, film, and the stage. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Jeremy on the Netflix original comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Randy Platt and Gary Ryan on the NBC drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as being the Founding Artistic Director of Animus Theatre Company in New York City. He is also a member of the cast of the controversial film A Rainy Day in New York, directed by Woody Allen.
Krzysztof Pastor is a Polish dancer, choreographer and ballet director. He was resident choreographer with the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam from 2003 to 2017, director of the Polish National Ballet in Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in Warsaw since 2009 and at the same time from 2011 until 2020 was the artistic director of the ballet of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Vilnius.
Tomasz Konina was a Polish theatre and opera director and stage designer.
Africans in Poland, also known as Afro-Poles or Afro-Polish, are citizens or residents of Poland who are of African descent. As of 2023, among European countries, the proportion of people from Africa is one of the lowest.
Mariusz Treliński is a Polish opera, theatre and film director as well as the artistic director of the Grand Theatre in Warsaw.
Konrad Ksawery Swinarski – Polish theatrical, television, film and opera director and stage designer.
