A Visit to Poland and the Arlekin Puppet Theatre in Łódź

By Felice Amato

Figures suspended over the street in front of the Arlekin Puppet Theatre. Photo by author.

I was recently at a conference in the Czech Republic and took the opportunity to visit Poland with my daughter Eva. It wasn’t meant to be a puppet trip. Also, since it was late summer, I knew that it wasn’t an ideal time to see performances or find people at home in Europe. Nevertheless, puppets are always a touch point in my travels, so I was open to seeing what I could find. In the end, I enjoyed Poland immensely, discovered fascinating things, and now know there is much more to explore in the future. 

At the start, Eva and I spent a few wonderful days in Kraków where we visited the Museum of Ethnography, which is not to be missed. In addition to faithfully reconstructed rooms and thoughtful exhibits where objects’ taught us about people’s lives, we encountered a stunning collection of extravagant szopki puppet theaters, described as “a fusion of flamboyant castle, nativity scene, glamorous marionette theatre and playground for political satire” (see Nativity scene (szopka) tradition in Krakow and The Marvellous Christmas Tradition of Poland's 'Szopki' | Article | Culture.pl). Related but distinct from the Ukrainian vertep and the Belarusian betleika, the tradition continues each December in Kraków.

A szopka on display at the Museum of Ethnography in Kraków. Photo by author. 

I also twisted Eva’s arm and she accompanied me to the Tadeusz Kantor Museum to see a disquieting installation of the life-size children from Kantor’s famous play Dead Class. Deeply affected by WWII, “the mannequins resembling figures from a wax museum and referring to Craig’s Ubermarionettes were, according to Kantor, a manifestation of “the trade of offence” and “the message of death” (https://culture.pl/en/work/the-dead-class-tadeusz-kantor and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a235hHGFIps).

The mannequins from Tadeusz Kantor’s Dead Class. Photo by author.

I then ventured up to Łódź (pronounced “Woodge”) for several days. “Why Łódź?” more than a few people asked; it isn’t a top tourist destination. My main reason was to visit the Puppetry Department of the Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum, which WEP A describes as holding a significant collection. Unfortunately, the museum was mostly closed for a five-year renovation.

When I asked about the possibility of seeing the puppets, one of the attendants drew back a huge curtain flanking the only open exhibition, revealing a vast expanse of shelving—a warehouse of items waiting to be recontextualized in new exhibitions. The rich smell of wood, wool, and wicker underscored the density of the inventory. It was disappointing, but the museums I visited in Poland are some of the most thoughtfully designed that I have encountered; I have no doubt that, once reinstalled, the exhibition will be worth the wait.

Puppet sets for children on display at the Dollhouse Museum in Warsaw. I learned these were two of eight produced by a workers' cooperative in Kraków. Photos by author.

Museums can be hit or miss. On my last day before flying out of Warsaw, I visited the wonderful National Museum of Ethnography but discovered that the Polish puppetry-related collection was not currently on display either. However, I was able to console myself with a visit to the Dollhouse Museum, where I was able to see some interesting modernist puppet sets (Muzeum Domków). (https://www.muzeumdomkow.pl/)

The Arlekin Puppetry Theatre. Photo by the author.

The highlight of the trip, however, was visiting the Arlekin Theatre in Łódź (https://wepa.unima.org/en/arlekin/), one of the most important theaters in Poland and completely devoted to contemporary puppetry. The theater was founded in 1948 by Maria and Henryk Ryl, just three years after the end of Nazi occupation. Henryk, a teacher, had been wounded and subsequently interned at Oflag VII-A Murnau, a German prisoner-of-war camp. There, a thriving amateur theater movement emerged, and Henryk became head of the puppet theater. (More about the couple can be found here and here) (https://wepa.unima.org/en/henryk-ryl/ and https://encyklopediateatru.pl/osoby/19231/-)

Large posters on the façade showcase the range and richness of the company’s productions. Photo by the author.

Arlekin is housed in a beautifully restored art nouveau building with two stages, multiple workshops, a large lobby that includes exhibition spaces, and an immense puppet archive. The theater feels both completely contemporary and deeply rooted in tradition and, in that way, exemplifies the threads that connect Łódź’s vibrant cultural past, present, and future.

Arlekin Puppetry Theatre members Bogna and Kasia circle a paper tree that creates a canopy in the lobby. Photo by author.

Łódź itself is in a renaissance: full of energy and innovation while retaining the historical and cultural roots of the city. The architecture itself tells the city’s complex story. Initially settled in the 14th century, Łódź is currently Poland’s fourth largest city (the population has declined). In just the last century or so, it has experienced two wars and industrial booms and busts, including a post-Soviet economic crisis. It also experienced the specific brutalities of both Nazi and Soviet occupation. Evidence of its struggles are there. And yet, there is cutting edge contemporary design everywhere and the evidence of money and care lifting and shaping the city through robust investment.

There are majestic neo-renaissance buildings near blocks of Soviet housing. Many gorgeous historic buildings are in ruins but there are just as many in various states of glorious and thoughtful restoration–often with a Polish twist. Decisions (such as preserving part of a disheveled wall on the facade of a new building) give a nod to the beauty and character –and historic truth– of urban ruins. The large factory districts–cities unto themselves– have been renovated to create housing, museums, and shopping centers. It is known for its many parks and green spaces. And everywhere, there are enormous murals!

One of many large murals in the city. Photo by author

Not far from Arlekin, the Rose Passage located off the main street is covered in mirror mosaics. Photo by author

A last minute email to Arlekin yielded an invitation from Katarzyna (Kasia) Wadas, theater sekretariat, to come for a tour. At the theater, Kasia greeted me and took me to the workshop, where staff were repairing puppets from previous shows and preparing for a new season. There, I met Marcin Jasiński, head of the art workshop, and Bogna Woskowicz, theatrical craftsperson/artisan.

Members of Arlekin Puppet Theatre in Łódź, Poland. From left to right: Katarzyna (Kasia) Wadas, theater sekretariat; Marcin Jasiński, head of the art workshop; and Bogna Woskowicz, theatrical craftsperson/artisan. Photo by author

The three guided me through the three dimensional archive of hundreds of puppets from throughout the theater's history. Bogna demonstrated the variety of types of puppets used, from humanettes to marionettes to Wayang Golek-style puppets–and new hybrids that the company has developed! Each show requires an investigation into the type or types of puppet that will tell the story best. Bogna, who is closely involved in building the puppets, emphasized the holistic nature of the process: the design in harmony with the mechanisms from the beginning of the process. Kasia described their robust slate of activities and initiatives. Marcin explained the renovation of the building and the design of the high-tech theater and how it functioned in performances…

Bogna demonstrates the construction of a life-size boy puppet from O Dwóch Takich, Co Ukradli księżyc or About Two People Who Stole the Moon. Photo by author

Bogna demonstrates a unique flat-style puppet with handles on the back from the show Huśtawka or “Swing” shown in the poster. It reminded me of my trip to the not-to-be-missed Film Museum in Łódź, where similar puppets were used in the stop motion animation. Photos by author. (https://en.muzeumkinematografii.pl/?page_id=881).

The “puppets” used to animate the Moomin series produced in Łódź in the 1970s, which, in addition to being the textile capital of Poland, is also the heart of the Polish film industry (sometimes referred to as “Hollyłódź”) after the National Film School was created there.
Photo by author.

When I asked about the use of the older puppets we saw on the tour, they said that at this point the company doesn’t reuse them or remount older shows. Rather, they work with contemporary artists to develop new shows with new aesthetics, building from the ground up. In fact, these collaborations seem central to the current artistic vision. In the lobby, there was an exhibition space that documented artist Mateusz Mirowski’s creative investigations of mask forms for a recent show: Another Princess of Burgundy (https://teatrarlekin.pl/spektakle/inna-ksiezniczka-burgunda/).

Masks created by Mateusz Mirowski, on display in the lobby alongside ephemera from his artistic research. Photo by author.

A display with some examples of Mirowski’s explorations of potential mask forms. Photo by author.

The theater has a large professional cast of actor/puppeteers. Marcin mentioned that Arlekin doesn't tour many shows because of the configurations the high tech theater can accommodate. For example, hydraulic platforms can bring large things up to stage level during performances and there is a very high bridge designed for long string marionettes; shows are designed with the theater’s possibilities in mind.

One of their productions involved soliciting puppet designs from children in the form of drawings and then realizing these designs for a production. Photo by author.

Beyond performances, Arlekin’s puppet inventory gets heavy use by children when school groups try out the various styles. Serving children is not only a mission, but–like companies throughout the world— it is part of the financial lifeblood of the theater. Their programming is exciting. Of course, a common theme no matter the country I visit, seems to be the limiting notion the public has that “puppets are just for children.” Arlekin too desires to build more adult engagement. Nevertheless, the work they do for and with children is sophisticated and multifaceted. In addition to innovative productions, one of our last stops on the tour was the smaller blackbox theater, where Arlekin is creating a child-friendly immersive theater escape room (https://teatrarlekin.pl/nowosc-escape-room-w-teatrze/).

Arlekin is committed to embedding social issues in their programming. Kasia says that, through the art of puppetry, they are able to bring in important themes for teachers and students to think about. Among the many serious themes the theater has tackled in shows for children is the fraught historic conditions for the mostly female workforce in the textile industry–the one-time lifeblood of the city.

A scene from the show Rutka https://teatrarlekin.pl/spektakle/rutka/. Photo by HaWa courtesy of Arlekin Puppetry Theatre.

They also created a show called Rutka about the Litzmannstadt Ghetto (http://www.lodz-ghetto.com/), a labor camp where the city’s Jewish population (roughly 34% of the entire city population) was confined and forced to work in inhumane conditions. Ultimately, most of the Łódź Jews were deported to Chelmno and other killing centers that the Nazis established in Poland. (Throughout the entire trip I was reminded of how much of WWII and the Holocaust took place in Poland under German occupation.)

In museums and memorials, the Poles seem to be especially attuned to the power of material objects in physical space to connect us to the past. At the Ghetto memorial at Radegast Station (http://www.lodz-ghetto.com/the_radegast_station.html,38)., a large interactive architectural model narrates and illuminates the Ghetto. Also displayed is a series of historic dioramas. No one needs to convince puppeteers that physicality and materiality allow one to feel history.

Though I did not see the show Rutka, in the powerful images from the production, the use of buildings echoes the model at the memorial and reminds me of how space and architecture serve as powerful narrative devices In fact, quoting Joanna Fabicka, the author of the novel that inspired the show on the webpage: "As a child, I loved touching the walls of tenement houses—it seemed to me I could feel them breathing. I would look into the windows of the houses and wonder who had lived there before. What children played here, whose feet ran along the cobblestone streets of Bałuty? (...) Every place has a story to tell. You just have to put your ear to it and listen."

A historic diorama of the Łódź Ghetto at the Radegast Station. Photo by author

In addition to fantasy and wonder and helping children learn about the city’s past and reflect on contemporary themes, Arlekin has a mission of helping children become thoughtful and engaged spectators. Through their etiquette series, they aim to reinforce respectful watching and listening but also to convey how reactions, such as bursts of laughter, gasps of surprise, and other emotive responses, are an essential part of how we experience and engage with theater. They are OK!

A downloadable PDF of theater etiquette which, along with charming physical comedy videos, can be found here :
https://teatrarlekin.pl/teatralny-savoir-vivre/

I wish that I could have seen a show and encourage the readers to check out the images on their website: https://teatrarlekin.pl/ (use the translation feature in the search bar for English). I now have strong incentives to return to Poland and specifically to Łódź–and long before the Ethnography Museum reopens!