National Theatre

Warsaw,

Poland

Plac Teatralny 3, 00-077, Warsaw, Poland

The National Theatre, known as Teatr Narodowy, originated in Warsaw, Poland, in 1765, as a significant establishment during the era of the Polish Enlightenment. Its founder was none other than Stanisław August Poniatowski, the monarch of Poland at the time. Located at the Theatre Square in Warsaw, the National Theatre stands alongside the Grand Theatre complex, which houses another prestigious national institution, the Poland's National Opera.

History

Opera was introduced to Poland by future King Władysław IV Vasa, just two decades after its first presentations in Florence. In 1628, he extended an invitation to the inaugural Italian opera company to perform in Warsaw. After ascending the Polish throne in 1632, Władysław IV constructed a theater within his castle, where regular opera performances were staged by an Italian company under the direction of Marco Scacchi.

The first public opera theater in Poland, known as Operalnia, was inaugurated on July 3, 1748. Situated in the Saxon Garden, at the present-day intersection of Marszałkowska Street and Królewska Street, it operated with the support of the royal court. The building of Operalnia, completed in 1725 at the initiative of Augustus II, was a rectangular structure divided into three sections, with a total cost of 5000 ducats.

During the Polish Enlightenment, in 1765, the National Theatre was established by the country's monarch, Stanisław August Poniatowski. From 1774 onwards, opera, theater, and ballet performances took place in the Radziwiłł Palace, which now serves as the official residence of Poland's president. On July 11, 1778, the first Polish opera, "Poverty Made Happy" by Maciej Kamieński with a libretto by Wojciech Bogusławski based on a comedy by Franciszek Bohomolec, was produced there.

Between 1779 and 1833, performances were held in a newly constructed theater on Krasiński Square, later renamed the National Theatre. Bogusławski, often regarded as the father of Polish National Theatre, was a prominent actor, singer, director, playwright, and entrepreneur. Additionally, the National Theatre housed a troupe of His Majesty's Dancers from 1785, led by ballet masters François Gabriel Le Doux from Paris and Daniel Curz from Venice. It was at this venue, on March 17, 1830, that Chopin premiered his Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11. Following its closure after the November 1830 Uprising, the National Theatre was revived in 1924 under the Second Polish Republic.

During the era of the Polish People's Republic (1945-1989), the quality of the Theatre's productions occasionally suffered due to government pressures.