Kazimierz Dejmek
Encyclopedia
Kazimierz Dejmek was a Polish
actor, theatre and film director, and politician. During his career he managed the Teatr Nowy in Łódź (now the Kazimierz Dejmek Theatre), the National Theatre, Warsaw, and the Teatr Polski, Warsaw
. From 1993 to 1996 he served as Poland's Minister of Culture
. In 1989 Dejmek was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
, one of his country's highest honours.
(now in the Ukraine
) in 1924 and attended school in Rzeszów
. During World War II
he was a partisan
in the Peasants' Party Special Units and in 1943 joined Poland's Home Army
. Shortly after leaving the army in 1944, he made his debut as an actor in Rzeszów playing Jasiek in Stanisław Wyspiański's The Wedding
. In the years 1945 - 1949 he performed in the Lower Silesian Theatre in Jelenia Góra
and the Wojska Polskiego Theatre in Łódź and studied at the The National Higher School of Theatre. In 1950, he abandoned acting as a career to become the Artistic Director of the Teatr Nowy. He served there until 1962, when he became the manager of the National Theatre in Warsaw.
At the end of November 1967, the National Theatre presented Adam Mickiewicz
's 1824 play Dziady
(Forefathers' Eve) directed by Dejmek. The production was to have considerable repersussions for his career and for Poland itself. After the 14th performance (on 30 January 1968), Poland's Communist government banned any further performances of the play on the grounds that it contained "anti-Russian" and "anti-socialist" references. Dejmek was expelled from the Communist Party
and fired from the National Theatre. The ban was condemned by the both Warsaw Writers' and the Actors' Union, followed by a student protest at the University of Warsaw which spread throughout Poland. From 1969 to 1972 Dejmek was basically in exile and primarily worked outside Poland where he directed in the Nationaltheatret
in Oslo
, the Schauspielhaus in Düsseldorf
, the Burgtheater
in Vienna
, and Giorgio Strehler
's Piccolo Teatro in Milan
.
Following his return to Poland in 1972, Dejmek directed at several major theatres, and in 1974 he again assumed the directorsip of the Teatr Nowy. He remained in that post until 1981 when he became the manager and Artistic Director of the Teatr Polski in Warsaw. A member of the Polish People's Party, he was elected to the Polish Parliament in 1993, and from 1993 to 1996 served as his country's Minister of Culture. (Note: Lech Wałęsa
was President of Poland from 1990 to 1995). Dejmek returned to his theatre career in 1997, and in 2001 assumed the directorship of the Teatr Nowy for the third time. Kazimierz Dejmek died in Łódź on 31 December 2002, just weeks before the premiere of his new production of Hamlet
.
On 14 Jan 2008, the Teatr Nowy was renamed in his honour. His son, Piotr Dejmek (born 1953), became a noted television actor in Poland and later a film director and producer.
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
actor, theatre and film director, and politician. During his career he managed the Teatr Nowy in Łódź (now the Kazimierz Dejmek Theatre), the National Theatre, Warsaw, and the Teatr Polski, Warsaw
Polish Theatre in Warsaw
Polish Theatre in Warsaw The theatre was initiated by Arnold Szyfman and designed by Czesław Przybylski. Finished in 1913, the facility featured Poland's first revolving stage. It a private enterprise staging Polish and foreign classics, contemporary drama, as well as popular plays.The theater was ...
. From 1993 to 1996 he served as Poland's Minister of Culture
Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland
Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland was formed on 31 October 2005, from transformation of Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Poland.The ministry is concerned with various aspects of Polish culture....
. In 1989 Dejmek was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta is one of Poland's highest Orders. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries...
, one of his country's highest honours.
Biography
Kazimierz Dejmek was born in KovelKovel
Kovel is a city located in the Volyn Oblast , in northwestern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Kovelskyi Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. The current estimated population is around 65,777.Kovel gives its name to one of the...
(now in the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) in 1924 and attended school in Rzeszów
Rzeszów
Rzeszów is a city in southeastern Poland with a population of 179,455 in 2010. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River, in the heartland of the Sandomierska Valley...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was a partisan
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
in the Peasants' Party Special Units and in 1943 joined Poland's Home Army
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
. Shortly after leaving the army in 1944, he made his debut as an actor in Rzeszów playing Jasiek in Stanisław Wyspiański's The Wedding
The Wedding (1901 play)
The Wedding is a defining work of Polish drama written at the turn of the 20th century by Stanisław Wyspiański. It describes the perils of the national drive toward self-determination following the two unsuccessful uprisings against the Partitions of Poland, in November 1830 and January 1863...
. In the years 1945 - 1949 he performed in the Lower Silesian Theatre in Jelenia Góra
Jelenia Góra
----Jelenia Góra is a city in Lower Silesia, south-western Poland. The name of the city means "deer mountain" in Polish, Czech and German. It is close to the Krkonoše mountain range running along the Polish-Czech border – ski resorts such as Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba can be found...
and the Wojska Polskiego Theatre in Łódź and studied at the The National Higher School of Theatre. In 1950, he abandoned acting as a career to become the Artistic Director of the Teatr Nowy. He served there until 1962, when he became the manager of the National Theatre in Warsaw.
At the end of November 1967, the National Theatre presented Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz ) was a Polish poet, publisher and political writer of the Romantic period. One of the primary representatives of the Polish Romanticism era, a national poet of Poland, he is seen as one of Poland's Three Bards and the greatest poet in all of Polish literature...
's 1824 play Dziady
Dziady (poem)
Dziady is a poetic drama by the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz. It is considered one of the great works of European Romanticism. To George Sand and George Brandes, Dziady was a supreme realization of Romantic drama theory, to be ranked with such works as Goethe's Faust and Byron's Manfred.The...
(Forefathers' Eve) directed by Dejmek. The production was to have considerable repersussions for his career and for Poland itself. After the 14th performance (on 30 January 1968), Poland's Communist government banned any further performances of the play on the grounds that it contained "anti-Russian" and "anti-socialist" references. Dejmek was expelled from the Communist Party
Polish United Workers' Party
The Polish United Workers' Party was the Communist party which governed the People's Republic of Poland from 1948 to 1989. Ideologically it was based on the theories of Marxism-Leninism.- The Party's Program and Goals :...
and fired from the National Theatre. The ban was condemned by the both Warsaw Writers' and the Actors' Union, followed by a student protest at the University of Warsaw which spread throughout Poland. From 1969 to 1972 Dejmek was basically in exile and primarily worked outside Poland where he directed in the Nationaltheatret
Nationaltheatret
The National Theatre in Oslo is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts.The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christiania Theatre, which was founded in 1829...
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, the Schauspielhaus in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, the Burgtheater
Burgtheater
The Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, and Giorgio Strehler
Giorgio Strehler
Giorgio Strehler was an Italian opera and theatre director.-Biography:Strehler was born in Barcola, Trieste to an Austrian father and a Franco-Slovene mother; he grew up speaking Italian but spoke French well and his German was passable. He became suddenly fatherless at the age of three, his...
's Piccolo Teatro in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
.
Following his return to Poland in 1972, Dejmek directed at several major theatres, and in 1974 he again assumed the directorsip of the Teatr Nowy. He remained in that post until 1981 when he became the manager and Artistic Director of the Teatr Polski in Warsaw. A member of the Polish People's Party, he was elected to the Polish Parliament in 1993, and from 1993 to 1996 served as his country's Minister of Culture. (Note: Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa is a Polish politician, trade-union organizer, and human-rights activist. A charismatic leader, he co-founded Solidarity , the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland between 1990 and 95.Wałęsa was an electrician...
was President of Poland from 1990 to 1995). Dejmek returned to his theatre career in 1997, and in 2001 assumed the directorship of the Teatr Nowy for the third time. Kazimierz Dejmek died in Łódź on 31 December 2002, just weeks before the premiere of his new production of Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
.
On 14 Jan 2008, the Teatr Nowy was renamed in his honour. His son, Piotr Dejmek (born 1953), became a noted television actor in Poland and later a film director and producer.