Leon Schiller Monument

Warsaw,Leon Schiller MonumentPoland
Leon Schiller Monument
Oboźna 9, 00-332, Warsaw, Poland
Leon Schiller, a notable Polish director and theater theorist, was born in 1887 in Kraków and died in 1954 in Warsaw. He directed the acclaimed play "Dziady" in 1934, survived World War II imprisonment with a ransom, and post-war, led the National Drama School in Łódź and founded "Pamiętnik Teatralny". The brown bust of Polish theater director Leon Schiller was created by Marian Wnuk in 1961. The monument was unveiled near the building of the Polish Theatre in November 1988.

Leon Schiller

Leon Schiller, also known as Leon Schiller de Schildenfeld, was an esteemed Polish director, critic, and theater theoretician, active in the early 20th century. Born on 14th March 1887 in Kraków, which was then under Austrian rule during the foreign Partitions of Poland, he hailed from a family of Austrian origin that had received nobility status from Empress Maria Theresa.

Schiller gained widespread recognition for his remarkable direction of Adam Mickiewicz's renowned play, Dziady, in 1934. This noteworthy production took place at the Teatr Polski (Polish Theatre) in Warsaw and received accolades. Additionally, it was successfully showcased in other cities including Lwów (now Lviv) in 1932, Wilno (now Vilnius) in 1933, and even Sofia, Bulgaria in 1937.

Throughout his career, Schiller made significant contributions to the realms of theater and film, not only as a director but also as a screenwriter for theater and radio, and a composer of music.

Following the assassination of Igo Sym, a Volksdeutsch German-collaborator actor, by the Polish underground on 7th March 1941, Leon Schiller faced the repercussions of German repressive measures during World War II. As a result, he was incarcerated in the Pawiak prison and later transferred to Auschwitz-Birkenau. However, in May 1941, his sister, Anna Jackowska, secured his release by paying a ransom of 12,000 złotys that she obtained from selling her jewelry.

After the war, between 1946 and 1949, Schiller took on the role of president at the National Drama School in Łódź (Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Teatralna w Łodzi). He went on to found the publication Pamiętnik Teatralny (The Theater Memoir) in 1952.

Leon Schiller passed away at the age of 66 in Warsaw in 1954, leaving behind a rich legacy in the field of theater and education.

Works

Essays:

  • Teatr Ogromny (Monumental Theater), 1961
  • U progu nowego teatru (On the Threshold of the New Theater), 1978

Performance Scripts:

  • Pastorałka (Pastorale), 1931
  • Kram z piosenkami (A Market Booth of Songs), 1977

"Monumental" Productions:

  • Samuel Zborowski, 1927
  • Kordian, 1934
  • Dziady, 1934
  • Nie-Boska Komedia (The Un-Divine Comedy), 1938

Zeittheater Productions - Focusing on Current Social Issues:

  • Opera za trzy grosze (The Three-Penny Opera), 1929
  • Krzyczcie Chiny (Cry, China!), 1938
  • Kapitan z Koepenick (The Captain from Koepenick), 1932

Musicals:

  • Dawne Czasy w Piosence, Poezji i Zwyczajach (Old Times in Song, Poetry and Custom), 1924
  • Bandurka (Bandora), 1925
  • Kulig (Sleigh Ride), 1929