Conference | An Enchanted Land, with Visions from Beyond: the Theater of Stanisław Wyspiański

Stanisław Wyspiański (1869–1907) was a Polish playwright, poet, designer, painter, and theater visionary. Working primarily in Kraków, he proposed a new Polish theater, one in dialogue with the world, that was both admired and misunderstood in his short lifetime. Despite his significant production history—not only in Poland, where his work has found enduring relevance, but to some extent, abroad—Wyspiański remains less known in the United States.

Incorporating discussions with scholars and artists from Poland and North America, the conference centers performance, translation, and adaptation as a means to encourage greater awareness of Wyspiański’s legacy. The program includes a screening of the celebrated film version of his play The Wedding, directed by Andrzej Wajda. There will also be readings from this and other verse dramas in new English-language translations by Lauren Dubowski, including a staged reading of his one-woman piece The Death of Ophelia.

Friday, February 28 to Saturday, March 1, 2025 

Locations: February 28 - Humanities Quadrangle (320 York St); and on March 1 - the Center for Collaborative Arts and Media (CCAM) (149 York St)

Wyspiański loved theater—for him, it was an enchanted land, and the costumed actors—visions from beyond.

— Stanisława Wysocka (1877–1941), Polish actor and director

Participants:

• Mateusz Antoniuk, Faculty of Polish Studies, History of 20th-Century Polish Literature; Jagiellonian University
• Anna Róża Burzyńska, Polish Studies, Theatre and Drama; Jagiellonian University
• Kathleen Cioffi, Princeton University Press
• Lauren Dubowski, Center for Collaborative Arts and Media (CCAM), Yale University
• Katarzyna Fazan, Polish Studies, Theatre and Drama; Jagiellonian University
• Krystyna Illakowicz, Slavic Languages and Literatures, Yale University
• Dorota Jarząbek-Wasyl, Polish Studies, Theatre and Drama; Jagiellonian University
• Dominika Laster, Theatre and Performance Studies, University of New Mexico
• Tamara Trojanowska, Slavic & East European Languages & Cultures, University of Toronto
• Katie Trumpener, Comparative Literature, Yale University
• MFA student artists from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale: Wiktor Freifeld (Design), Jack Kelley (Acting), Francisco Morandi Zerpa (Acting), Grace Wissink (Acting)

Organizers:

• Krystyna Illakowicz, Slavic Languages and Literatures, Yale University
• Lauren Dubowski, Center for Collaborative Arts and Media (CCAM), Yale University