The Town Theatre in Lvov and His Director in the Season of 1918-1919

Abstract

The beginning of the twentieth century augured considerable changes in the capital of Galicia, both economic and cultural. The fact that Poland regained independence and difficult war months were for Lvov an enormous test that had led to the city's fall. In the critical season 1918/1919, the City board entrusted the town theatre after the famous Ludwik Heller to the actor Roman Żelazowski. The months of struggles for the town became an exceptional experience for the management and actors. The repertoire included above all patriotic moods, the relationships between the repertoire, critics, and the public. The dramatic struggles notwithstanding, the traditional values of the Lvov stage remained unmoved in the majority of the Polish dramatic works. From the materials that are available emerges a picture of plays that represent Żelazowski's enduring team.