POLAND

Please note that the information collected is not exhaustive, as the landscape of Polish theatre life is lively, and new opportunities appear frequently. The most interesting or best-known initiatives are presented below.

Information gathered by: Maria Babicka, Joanna Biernacka-Płoska, Jarosław Cymerman, Karolina Dziełak-Żakowska, Monika Krawul, Krystyna Mogilnicka, Kamila Paprocka-Jasińska, Daria Sobik, Magdalena Szwedowska, and Elżbieta Zimna

Where can I find information about contemporary plays in your country?

• ZAiKS (Stowarzyszenie Autorów i Kompozytorów Scenicznych) / Society of Authors ZAiKS – There is a catalogue of theatrical works available on the ZAiKS website (the database contains 11,991 works) (https://zaiks.org.pl/zaiks-teatr/katalog-utworow-dramatycznych).
• Dialog, a journal of contemporary drama (https://www.dialog-pismo.pl/) – Its main task is to publish dramatic texts. Since 1956, each issue has included at least one Polish and one foreign play, screenplay, script or text for the stage.
• ADiT (Agencja Dramatu i Teatru) / The ADiT Agency promotes contemporary drama in Poland and abroad (https://www.adit.art.pl; https://www.adit.art.pl/en/home). The ADiT Agency, founded and run by Elżbieta Manthey, has promoted contemporary dramaturgy in Poland and abroad for many years now. The ADiT collection includes plays by well-known and debuting Polish playwrights, as well as translations of foreign plays, that have been successful in local theatres, or which have been strongly recommended by our translators.
• Konkurs na Wystawienie Polskiej Sztuki Współczesnej / The National Competition for the Production of a Polish Contemporary Drama Play – A competition organised by the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute with the aim of popularising contemporary Polish drama, promoting domestic playwrights, supporting theatres staging Polish drama and adaptations of Polish contemporary literature, and rewarding the most inspiring repertoire in Polish theatre (https://sztukawspolczesna.org/).
• “Dramatopisanie” – A scholarship programme for playwrights organised by the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute that culminates in the publication of a theatre play and provides financial support for the theatre that chooses to produce it (https://www.instytut-teatralny.pl/dzialalnosc/projekty-i-programy/dramatopisanie/).
• Gdyńska Nagroda Dramaturgiczna / The Gdynia Drama Award – A competition held under the auspices of the City of Gdańsk for best contemporary Polish drama (http://www.gnd.art.pl/; a library of the winning dramas is available on the website: http://www.gnd.art.pl/baza-sztuk/).
• Nowe Sztuki dla Dzieci i Młodzieży / New Plays for Children and Young People – A competition and series of publications; it is now the only publication in Poland that regularly presents the latest dramatic works for young audiences (https://nowesztuki.pl/; https://nowesztuki.pl/about-us-2/).^*

^* A report from a survey on the state of drama for children and young people in Poland published in 2022 is available here: https://nowesztuki.pl/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Raport-Zmiana-paradygmatu.pdf.

• AURORA – nagroda dramaturgiczna miasta Bydgoszczy / AURORA – The Drama Award of the City of Bydgoszcz (https://www.teatrpolski.pl/bydgoszcz-award.html). Entries can be submitted in one of four languages: English, Polish, Ukrainian or Russian.
• Nagroda Dramaturgiczna im. Tadeusza Różewicza / Tadeusz Różewicz Drama Competition (Gliwice) – A competition of the City of Gliwice (https://nagrodarozewicza.pl/, a library of the winning dramas is available on the competition website: https://nagrodarozewicza.pl/baza-sztuk-nagrodzonych/).
• Konkurs Dramaturgiczny STREFY KONTAKTU / STREFA KONTAKTU Drama Competition(Wrocław) – A Competition of the City of Wrocław and Maria and Edmund Wierciński Współczesny Theatre in Wrocław (https://strefykontaktu.pl/sk/O_konkursie,77; a library of the winning dramas is available on the competition website: https://strefykontaktu.pl/sk/Baza_sztuk,82).
• Konkurs Dramaturgiczny im. Łucjana Kościeleckiego / Łucjan Kościelecki Drama Competition (Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź) – a Competition organised by the Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź (https://teatrjaracza.pl/konkurs-dramaturgiczny-im-lucjana-koscieleckiego-o-nagrode-pioro-jaracza).
• “Komediopisanie” (Teatr Powszechny/Polskie Centrum Komedii Łódź) – A competition for the best contemporary Polish comedy organised by Powszechny Theatre in Łódź (https://powszechny.pl/pl/polskie-centrum-komedii/).
• WYSPIANKISS (Teatr Śląski w Katowicach) – A project and a competition for emerging playwrights (https://teatrslaski.art.pl/wyspiankiss/).
• Scena Nowej Dramaturgii (Rzeszów) / The New Dramaturgy Scene, a platform created by the Wanda Siemaszkowa Theatre in Rzeszów, focuses on contemporary methods of creating theatrical narratives based on the written word: https://teatr-rzeszow.pl/projekty/scena-nowej-dramaturgii/.
• Nagrody za Twórczość Translatorską im. Tadeusza Boya-Żeleńskiego / The Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński Translation Award – An award given by the Mayor of Gdańsk since 2015 to translators of foreign literature into Polish.

Where can theatre translators apply for funding and develop their skills?

• See the scholarships, competitions, and publishing possibilities listed above in Section 1.
• Additionally, playwrights can apply for a scholarship awarded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland.
• Willa Decjusza in Kraków offers scholarships for scriptwriters and playwrights – https://willadecjusza.pl/wydarzenie/stypendia-dla-scenarzystow-i-dramatopisarzy.
• A list of funding opportunities was also developed and published by Stowarzyszenie Tłumaczy Literatury / Polish Literary Translators Association – https://stl.org.pl/baza-wiedzy/stypendia-i-granty/stypendia-dla-tlumaczy/.
• Instytut Książki / The Polish Book Institute – https://instytutksiazki.pl/pl/; a list of literature funding programmes is available on their website: https://instytutksiazki.pl/pl/dotacje,3,wszystkie,0.html
• Domestic publishers interested in publishing drama works (examples):
  – Ośrodek Badań nad Polskim Dramatem Współczesnym IBL PAN (eg. Zofia Posmysz) – https://polskidramat.pl/dramat-polski-reaktywacja/seria/zofia-posmysz/);
  – Wydawnictwo Literackie – https://www.wydawnictwoliterackie.pl/wydawnictwo;
  – Ossolineum – https://wydawnictwo.ossolineum.pl/wydawnictwo-ossolineum/;
  – Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy (PIW) – https://info.piw.pl/o-nas;
  – Księgarnia Akademicka Publishing – “Nasze Dramaty” series – https://books.akademicka.pl/publishing/catalog/series/nd;
  – Żywosłowie – https://www.zywoslowie.pl/;
  – Wydawnictwo Cyranka – https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wydawnictwo_Cyranka (eg. Ishbel Szatrawska);
  – Wydawnictwo Czytelnik – https://czytelnik.pl/ (eg. Thomas Bernhard);
  – Polska Kompania Teatralna – https://www.polskakompaniateatralna.pl/;

and many more.

• Courses / schools
• Literary translation in Poland is taught at several universities in philology or linguistics departments, most of which offer a specialisation in translation.
• Gdansk University offers postgraduate studies on Literary Translation: https://old.ug.edu.pl/oferta_ksztalcenia/studia_podyplomowe/33602/sp_translatoryka_-_przeklad_literacki.
• Literary translation is also taught by experienced translators at courses organised by the Polskie Towarzystwo Wydawców Książek / Polish Association of Book Publishers: https://ptwk.pl/?page_id=5659.
• Specialised courses related to the translation of theatre plays are occasionally held in the form of workshops or masterclasses, usually with an artist or an experienced drama translator. They are organised by institutions or festivals connected with the theatre. Open calls, and information are published on the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute website: https://e-teatr.pl/?ogl=1119.
• See also the recent course on dramaturgy (https://kursy.swps.pl/s/swps-product/a0r7Q000000QdPaQAK/lnpt-dramaturgia) offered by the SWPS University as part of Laboratorium Nowych Praktyk Tetaralnych / The Laboratory of New Theatrical Practices run by the SWPS University and Nowy Teatr in Warsaw: https://nowyteatr.org/en/aktualnosci/laboratorium-nowych-praktyk-teatralnych-2023-24.

Which agencies represent theatre translators?

• ZAiKS (Stowarzyszenie Autorów i Kompozytorów Scenicznych) / Society of Authors ZAiKS (https://zaiks.org.pl/).
• ADiT (Agencja Dramatu i Teatru) / The ADiT Agency (https://www.adit.art.pl; https://www.adit.art.pl/en/home).

Which organisations bring together theatre translators?

• Stowarzyszenie Tłumaczy Literatury / Polish Literary Translators Association – gathers all kinds of knowledge useful for the profession of literary translator (https://stl.org.pl/baza-wiedzy/poradnik/); see especially the Polish Translator’s Charter: https://www.stp.org.pl/karta-tlumacza-polskiego/.

The Association is a member of:

– International Federation of Translators (https://en.fit-ift.org/);
– International Association of Conference Interpreters (https://aiic.org/).

Where can I find practical answers to questions about fees, contracts, social security, the status of artists, consultancy services, etc., for theatre translators?

We recommend perusing the extended information on the Stowarzyszenie Tłumaczy Literatury / Polish Literary Translators Association website, which not only provides information on funding opportunities but also conducts surveys on earning opportunities and publishes their results (e.g., presenting the average market rates, see: https://stl.org.pl/baza-wiedzy/poradnik/), offers options to purchase private medical and life insurance for translators and their families (see: https://stl.org.pl/pakiety-medyczne-oraz-ubezpieczenia-dla-czlonkow-stl-i-ich-rodzin/), and publishes a ‘model’ translation contract covering royalties (see: https://stl.org.pl/baza-wiedzy/umowa-modelowa/).

There is ongoing work on the issue of the official status of artists in Poland; SWPS University has been collecting information, conducting surveys, and publishing reports about artists for a few years now, see the report from 2020 here: https://swps.pl/my-uniwersytet/aktualnosci/nowosci-wydawnicze/22898-policzone-i-policzeni-artystki-i-artysci-w-polsce). The latest survey was completed in May 2024.