Baj Pomorski Theatre in Toruń
The Birth of the Theatre
The “Baj Pomorski” Theatre owes its origin to Irena Pikiel-Samorewiczowa. In April 1945, as a repatriate from Vilnius, she arrived in Bydgoszcz with a document from the Ministry of Culture and Art dated April 1, 1945, authorizing her to establish the first puppet theatre in the Pomerania region. It was intended to be a younger sibling of the Warsaw “Baj” theatre, hence the name “Baj Pomorski.” In Bydgoszcz, the theatre received a venue in the Municipal Slaughterhouse building, which had housed a German puppet theatre during the occupation. On October 28, 1945, the first premiere for children was held—About the Little Wandering Tailor by Ewa Szelburg-Zarembina. However, the conditions of the Bydgoszcz stage did not meet the needs of the young puppet theatre. Therefore, I. Pikiel willingly accepted the proposal to move the theatre’s headquarters to Toruń. In April 1946, “Baj Pomorski” was given a building at 9 Piernikarska Street, which during the war had belonged to the German Castle Theatre. Located beautifully near the ruins of the medieval Teutonic Castle, the theatre operates there to this day—over sixty years later.
The first actors of “Baj Pomorski” were students from Nicolaus Copernicus University who, under the supervision of experienced actors and directors, participated in theatre workshops and learned the art of puppet animation. Working conditions were tough. The theatre had modest equipment and was heavily involved in touring performances—not only in Pomerania but almost throughout Poland. Less than two years later, when I. Pikiel was transferred to Warsaw, the theatre faced the threat of closure. It was saved by Joanna Piekarska, who took over leadership after its founder. By then, “Baj Pomorski” had already experienced its first successes. The Cat’s House, directed by Piekarska, won third prize at the First Festival of Russian and Soviet Arts in Warsaw in 1950. This success, along with the theatre’s active operations, led to the nationalization of the Toruń puppet stage. At the time, this meant financial stability for the institution, but also the loss of some creative freedom that had characterized its pioneering efforts—going forward, it had to strictly follow the rules imposed by the cultural policy of socialist realism in selecting plays and planning productions.
Directors:
The theatre’s successive directors were:
Stanisław Stapf (1950–1960),
Leszek Śmigielski (1960–1972),
Tadeusz Petrykowski (artistic director 1972–1979), during which time the general directors were Eugeniusz Synak (1972–1976) and Karol Mroziński (1976–1979),
Konrad Szachnowski (1979),
Antoni Słociński (1980–1988),
Krzysztof Arciszewski (1988–1992),
Wojciech Olejnik (1992–1993),
Czesław Sieńko (1993–2003).
Since August 1, 2003, the director of “Baj Pomorski” has been Zbigniew Lisowski.
Each director has left a lasting mark on the history of the Toruń puppet stage.
Maturity and Flourishing
The period of artistic maturity for “Baj Pomorski” came under Stapf’s leadership. He thoroughly modernized the theatre, turning it into one of the best-equipped stages in Poland. He staged the first adult premiere in the theatre’s history—a puppet adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare—and founded the Festival of Puppet Theatres of Northern Poland, the first event of its kind in Pomerania.
During Śmigielski’s tenure in the 1960s, the theatre shifted from a traditional puppet theatre to one that sought new forms of expression and engaged with Toruń’s artistic life. This period saw the most premieres in the theatre’s history, with ambitious productions inspired by folk theatre traditions and innovative stagings of contemporary works by local writers. The establishment of the “Azyl” Creative Community Club was a unique phenomenon in Poland and turned “Baj Pomorski” into the cultural heart of Toruń and a hub of artistic initiatives.
Under T. Petrykowski, the theatre revitalized international collaboration, especially with Czech and Romanian theatres, and increased its presence at Polish puppet festivals.
K. Szachnowski left a mark with his modern approach to staging classic theatre works. His puppet premiere of Celestina by Fernando de Rojas became a landmark in Polish puppet theatre history for its creative use of marionettes and fairground theatre style.
A. Słociński’s eight-year directorship led to the development of educational theatre programs for children. The theatre also began participating in international festivals and strengthened ties with German (especially from Göttingen, Toruń’s partner city) and Czech theatres.
The tenures of K. Arciszewski and W. Olejnik continued the theatre’s previously established profile. A major change was the 1992 transformation of the theatre into a municipal institution, funded by the City of Toruń, and the name change from the State Puppet and Actor Theatre “Baj Pomorski” to simply “Baj Pomorski” Theatre.
Under Czesław Sieńko, the theatre entered a period of further development, coinciding with Poland’s democratic stabilization and structural changes. The repertoire expanded to include adaptations of popular children’s and youth literature previously absent from Polish stages. The theatre began promoting new European children’s literature, and innovative set designs encouraged interactive participation from audiences. For the first time in its history, “Baj Pomorski” productions received numerous awards and distinctions, including the ASSITEJ Certificate of the Highest Artistic Quality. In 1994, Sieńko founded the Toruń Puppet Theatre Meetings, which became an international festival in 1999. This event remains a cornerstone of the theatre’s activity. The International Toruń Puppet Theatre Meetings are among the few festivals of this type and scale in Poland, held every October. Over the course of a week, the festival presents the most interesting puppet theatres from around the world, including masters of puppetry, traditional puppeteers, and experimental groups exploring the broader field of animated theatre.
New Building, New Challenges
The current director of “Baj Pomorski,” Zbigniew Lisowski, has undertaken the mission of creating a theatre that addresses contemporary issues affecting young audiences and reflects modern trends. His interests were evident already in the 2004 production Seeking Reason (premiere: Feb. 1, 2004), which explored themes like freedom and its limits, communication styles, and the possibilities and limitations of language through engaging staging and music. Subsequent productions have continued this dialogue with themes like loneliness, tolerance, imagination, dreams, and love. A significant part of the repertoire also includes performances for youth and adults. Lisowski placed strong emphasis on theatre education, expanding theatre lesson offerings, teacher support projects (such as “In the World of Theatre”), workshops, and competitions.
Upon assuming leadership, Lisowski also took on the long-planned task of renovating and modernizing the theatre building. The collaboration between architects and set designer Pavel Hubička resulted in a unique theatre concept—a magical wardrobe—combining Gothic architecture elements of the city with modern solutions. From July 2005 to November 2006, the construction and modernization were carried out, and on November 5, 2006, the new “Baj Pomorski” building was officially opened. The investment was co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund and the state budget under the Integrated Regional Development Operational Programme. The new “Baj” building has been recognized as one of the most interesting theatre buildings in Poland. It was nominated for the TVP Kultura award in the Children and Youth Culture category in 2006 and was honored as Toruń’s Building of the Year in the Rejuvenation category for 2006.
With the modernization, “Baj Pomorski” gained new possibilities for performance and educational-social activities. Modern technical and electroacoustic solutions allow for productions using cutting-edge multimedia techniques and innovative stage ideas—the best example being African Tale, or Tiger Pietrek (premiere: April 1, 2007, dir. Z. Lisowski). The theatre has greatly expanded its range of projects and social programs for diverse audience groups, including individuals with disabilities.
