Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival is an international theatre festival devoted to the idea of the

Elizabethan theatre The English Renaissance theatre or Elizabethan theatre was the theatre of England from 1558 to 1642. Its most prominent playwrights were William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson. Background The term ''English Renaissance theatr ...

, and especially to the works of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. 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 Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...

as its patron. Its original name, "Gdańsk Shakespeare Days" was transformed into "Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival" in 1997, during the celebration of Gdańsk's millennium. The Festival is held annually during the first week of August. Most of the plays are performed on the theatre scenes of

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

Sopot Sopot (; or ) is a seaside resort city in Pomerelia on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pomerania Province and has the City with powiat ri ...

, and

Gdynia Gdynia is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk ...

( Tricity). Some are shown in spaces such as St. John's Church, the former Royal Gun Factory, or

Gdańsk Shipyard The Gdańsk Shipyard (, formerly Lenin Shipyard) is a large Polish shipyard, located in the city of Gdańsk, northern Poland. The yard gained international fame when Polish trade union Solidarity () was founded there in September 1980. It is sit ...

and in the open air. The Festival aims at presenting and popularizing the output of William Shakespeare by presentation of his plays, but also by other means. After the performances the public can meet with directors and actors. Within the framework of the festival an educational program for students is organized as well. It is called "Letnia Akademia Szekspirowska" (Summer Shakespeare Academy).

Golden Yorick prize

It is a prize given every year to the best Polish staging of the Shakespearean play in a theatre season. It has been awarded by the Theatrum Gedanense Foundation since 1994. Each year the prizewinning performances are invited to participate in the Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival.

Winners

*1994 – ''

Love's Labour's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as ...

'' Polish Theatre in Warsaw, directed by Maciej Prus *1995 – ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' Polish Theatre in Wrocław, directed by Tadeusz Bradecki *1996 – the main prize was not awarded, distinction: ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' Helena Modrzejewska Theatre in Legnica, directed by Robert Czechowski *1997 – ''As You Like It'' Dramatic Theatre in Warsaw, directed by Piotr Cieślak *1998 – ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604. It was published in the First Folio of 1623. The play centers on the despotic and puritan Angelo (Measure for ...

'' Old Theatre in Cracow, directed by Tadeusz Bradecki *1999 – ''

Coriolanus ''Coriolanus'' ( or ) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same ...

'' Helena Modrzejewska Theatre in Legnica, directed by Jacek Głomb and Krzysztof Kopka *2000 – ''

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'' Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw, directed by Piotr Cieplak *2001 – ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' Nowa Łódź Theatre, directed by Mikołaj Grabowski *2002 – ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' National Theatre in Warsaw, directed by Jerzy Grzegorzewski *2003 – ''

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

'' TR Warszawa, directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski *2004 – ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

'' Nowy Theatre in Poznań, directed by Janusz Wiśniewski *2005 – main prize: ''

The Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play ...

'' Nowy Theatre in Łódź, directed by Maciej Prus, distinction: ''2007: Macbeth'' TR Warszawa, directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna, special prize: ''H'' Wybrzeże Theatre in Gdańsk, directed by Jan Klata *2006 – ''Romeo and Juliet'' Norwid Theatre in Jelenia Góra, directed by Krzysztof Rekowski *2007 – ''Measure for Measure'' Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw, directed by Anna Augustynowicz *2008 – ''The Tempest'' Nowy Theatre in Poznań, directed by Janusz Wiśniewski *2009 – the main prize was not awarded, First distinction: ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

'' Wybrzeże Theatre, directed by Szymon Kaczmarek; Honorary distinction: ''Othello. Variations on a Theme'' Stefan Jaracz Theatre, directed by Agata Duda-Gracz in the Competition for the Best Shakespeare Production in the 2008/2009 season.

Accompanying events

Summer Shakespeare Academy consists of theatrical and creative workshops conducted by Polish artists and famous foreign personalities. The participants are encouraged to develop their passions for theatre, dance,

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

. Shakespeare Daily is the newspaper that has accompanied the festival for many years. It is created and edited by the participants of

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

workshops. It contains the information about festival events,

review A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a content rating, ...

s, and articles about plays and artists. 'Dolne Miasto Górą' (which could be translated as "Dolne Miasto is the Best") is the common name of various artistic workshops organised in Dolne Miasto and Orunia (districts of Gdańsk). It is also called "Shakespeare mania" and consists of free workshops for children and teenagers conducted by young artists from Gdańsk. The project was created by Joanna Śnieżko-Misterek, Teatrum Gedanense Foundation and Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre. The aim of the action is to make the youth conscious of their abilities and to help them develop their interests and self-esteem. The end of the workshops is always celebrated with a theatrical parade. Actors, human-shaped

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...

s and various artists, together with the residents of Dolne Miasto, march along

Długi Targ The Long Market Square (Polish language, Polish: ''Długi Targ''; ; Kashubian language, Kashubian: ''Dłudżi Rénk'') in Gdańsk, Poland, is one of the most notable tourist attractions of the city. It is situated between the end of Ulica Długa ( ...

, which is the centre of the Old Town of Gdańsk. The events do not end with the festival's last day. After the festival photographic and

literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, plays, and poems. It includes both print and digital writing. In recent centuries, ...

competitions are organised. Each year a competition for the best festival photograph and review is held. There is also an annual exhibition of the works of young independent artists.

Editions of the festival

13th Shakespeare Festival

13th Shakespeare Festival was held 1–10 August 2009. It was the first edition of the festival that had a theme –

multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms, such as Text (literary theory), writing, Sound, audio, images, animations, or video, into a single presentation. T ...

. Many of the festival theatre groups employed multimedia in their performances. The event was accompanied by an international conference on the phenomenon of multimedia arts in the theatre: Blending the Media. Art in the theatre/theatre in the arts. Among the guests of the conference were such

theatre studies Theatre studies (sometimes referred to as theatrology or dramatics) is the study of theatrical performance in relation to its literary, physical, psychological, sociological, and historical contexts. It is an interdisciplinary field which also enco ...

stars as Marvin Carlson, Patrice Pavis, Bryan Reynolds, Erika Fischer-Lichte czy Eli Rozik. A lecture was given by

Elizabeth LeCompte Elizabeth LeCompte (born April 28, 1944) is an American director of experimental theater, dance, and media. A founding member of The Wooster Group, she has directed that ensemble since its emergence in the late 1970s.Mitter, Shomit, and Maria Sh ...

, the founding member and the

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

of an

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

theater collective – The Wooster Group. It was during this edition that festival performances could be seen outside the Tricity for the first time. This event was called Shakespeare in Pomerania Region. "

" by the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a Theater (structure), theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 at Southwark, close to the south bank of the Thames, by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was ...

was shown in

Słupsk Słupsk (; ; ) is a city with powiat rights located on the Słupia River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland, in the historical region of Pomerania or more specifically in its part known in contemporary Poland as Central Pomerania ...

Pruszcz Gdański Pruszcz Gdański (; former ; ; ) is a town in Pomerania, northern Poland with 26,834 inhabitants (2010). Pruszcz Gdański is an industrial town neighbouring Gdańsk, part of the Tricity, Poland, Tricity urban agglomeration, agglomeration. The Obwo ...

, and

Kościerzyna Kościerzyna (; Pomeranian language, Pomeranian and ; former ) is a town in Kashubia in Gdańsk Pomerania region, northern Poland, with 23,327 inhabitants as of June 2023. It has been the capital of Kościerzyna County in Pomeranian Voivodeship si ...

. Performances of the main stage: * ''

HAMLET ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

/Amleto. Nella Carne il Silenzio'' – Compagnia Laboratorio di Pontendera (Italy) * ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

'' and A Midsummer Night's Dream – two performances by

Propeller A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...

company from Watermill Theatre, Great Britain * ''Hamlet'' – The Wooster Group (USA) * ''Warum, Warum'' directed by

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...

– Miriam Goldschmidt's monodrama * ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' – Globe Theatre (Great Britain) * ''The Merchant of Venice'' – Bremer Shakespeare Company (Germany) * ''The Taming of the Shrew'' – The Wybrzeże Theatre (Poland), First distinction in the Golden Yorick competition * ''King Richard III'' – co-production of two theatres: The Hungarian Theatre of Cluj (

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

) and The Gyulai Castle Theatre (Hungary) * ''Othello. Variations on a theme'' – The Stefan Jaracz Theatre, Łódź (Poland), Honorary distinction in the Golden Yorick Competition * ''Hamlet'' – The Radu Stanca National Theatre in Sibiu (Romania) As a part of Shakespeare Miniature Scenes were shown: * "O, that this too too solid flesh..." – performance by the students of

London Metropolitan University London Metropolitan University, commonly known as London Met, is a public university, public research university in London, England. The University of North London and London Guildhall University merged in 2002 to create the university. The Un ...

, based on several William Shakespeare's plays (''Hamlet'', ''Romeo and Juliet'', ''

Much Ado about Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...

'', ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', ''As You Like It'') * "Hamlet, or the End of Childhood" – The Naxos Theatre Group (France) * "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by students of the Warsaw Theatrical Academy, the performance based on Shakespeare's play and the music of

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

and

King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...

* "

" by The Parrabbola Group in collaboration with Lightwork Theatre company (

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

)
Klub Zak Theatre
The cast included Brett Brown as

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...

, Bryony Hannah as Miranda, Scott Handy as

Prospero Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's ''The Tempest''. Character Twelve years before the play begins, Prospero is usurped from his position as the rightful Duke of Milan by his brother Antonio, ...

and David Monteith as Ariel.

12th Shakespeare Festival

12th Shakespeare Festival was held 2–9 August 2008. Among the many performances of the year, the festival included a variety of workshops and lectures by distinguished theatre practitioners. Caleb Marshall ( Shakespeare Globe Theatre, Great Britain) gave an acting workshop on

Yoshihiro Kurita Yoshihiro is a Japanese masculine given name, and less commonly, a surname. There are dozens of different ways to write the name in kanji. Some examples of written forms *義弘, "justice, vast" *義広, "justice, wide" *義寛, "justice, gener ...

( Ryutopia Theatre, USA) and Jarosław Bielski ( Replika Theatre, Spain) gave acting workshops on

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

, and Bryan Reynolds and Chris Marshall ( Transversal Theatre, USA) gave a workshop on transversal acting methodology. Ińaki Arana ( Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramatico, Spain) gave an artistic swordplay workshop, and Bare Feet (Zambia) and the Other Side of the Mirror Theatre (Gdańsk) gave African dance and drumming workshops. Also, Lonnie Alcaraz (Transversal Theatre, USA) gave a workshop for lighting directors and Michael Hooker (Transversal Theatre, USA) gave a workshop for sound directors. Performances of the main stage: * ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' – ARKA theatre, Wrocław * ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

'' – Ryutopia Theatre, Japan * ''Hamlet'' – Polski Theatre, Wrocław * ''SHAKESPEARE SOLO'' – Ophelia – State Youth Theatre, Armenia * ''Richard after Richard'' – Theatre in the Basket, Ukraine * '' Hamletmachine'' – Odeon Theatre, Romania * ''Hamlet'' – Réplika Theatre, Spain * ''Romeo and Juliet'' – Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, UK * ''

'' – National Theatre, Craiova, Romania * ''

'' – Nowy Theatre, Poznań * ''Lumping in Fargo'' – Transversal Theater Company, Netherlands

References

External links

Gdańsk Shakespeare FestivalGdańsk Shakespeare TheatreTheatrum Gedanense Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gdansk Shakespeare Festival Theatre festivals in Poland Shakespeare festivals Summer in Poland Events in Gdańsk