Contemporary scholarship in theatre studies challenges this view, and theories and research long present in academic discourse support that challenge. Modern theatre, empowered by technological progress, is equipped with an enormous array of tools that creators of all backgrounds eagerly utilise. They draw on computer software that enables the construction of three-dimensional scenography, magical imagery reminiscent of NASA’s photo archives, as well as animations, projections, and mapping. In such an environment, the Actor ceases to serve primarily as a creator of a character and instead becomes a performer who communicates with the audience through technological means. The continuity of theatrical narration is often abandoned. The millennial generation does not find this problematic. Formed intellectually within an educational process shaped by the world’s largest library — the Internet — they do not expect order or narrative fluidity in a theatrical story. This feature of a discontinuous stream of consciousness, known since the early twentieth century, was embraced with great enthusiasm by postmodernism.

What, then, is theatre today? In Poland — and undoubtedly in other countries of the former Eastern Bloc — the answer is far from straightforward. Over the past thirty years, social, economic and, above all, political life has undergone profound transformation. Authorities imposed by the communist system have been dismantled, but in the process the genuine ones were discarded as well. A new generation of creators entered the theatrical spotlight, eager to proclaim a break with traditional theatre and to invoke manifestos commonly produced by postmodernists. It is worth noting that Western Europe did not fall under the spell of postmodernity to the same extent. New theories — or rather fashions — had a moderate impact on the development of theatre and eventually faded, giving way to newer concepts and newer trends. Many theatres continued to uphold their artistic repertoire lines and carried on cultivating bourgeois theatre, whether in more traditional or more modernised forms. Today, in Poland, one often encounters theatre shaped by the so-called political drama and political theatre. This trend is characterised by a dominant function of performative intervention into a reality — social, ideological, ethical — entrenched in unrealistic beliefs. It also reveals the need to divide (in both senses: to share and to delineate boundaries) what is visible and invisible, audible and inaudible, possible and impossible, thinkable and unthinkable (Jacques Rancière, The Politics of Aesthetics). This trend calls as well for a confrontation of different visions of public order, in line with the principle of “real conflict – real choice” (Chantal Mouffe, The Political, Krytyka Polityczna Guide). Theatre is thus tasked with presenting and articulating the conflict between universal values and views asserting the supremacy of individual freedoms. Such an understanding of theatre’s mission — reinforced by political correctness — generates a perceived need to oppose practices that exclude others from social, cultural, and economic life, particularly members of national, sexual, and racial minorities. There are, undoubtedly, additional elements of contemporary theatre that call for active engagement. What unites them is the presentation of the text — and ultimately the entire performance — in a way that inspires the spectator to improve reality in accordance with the principles conveyed on stage. That is the ideal. Yet when one examines the dramatic texts and productions regarded by Polish critics as political, difficulties emerge in assessing the relationship between modern and traditional theatre. It appears that the new theatrical landscape has been overtaken by postdramatic theatre. And indeed, in Poland we observe a tendency among critics — with inevitable market consequences — to overlook productions that are traditional in form and staging. A separate matter concerns aesthetics itself. In the majority of performances on Polish stages, journalistic commentary is now foregrounded. One important current, present in public space since antiquity (ancient Greek and later Roman open-air spectacles), is Street Theatre. If theatre is defined as a form of social communication, then street theatre can serve as a powerful means of conveying direct and simple messages. This field was explored, among others, by the renowned British theatre director Peter Brook, who in 1970 abandoned conventional theatre and devoted himself to experimental practice. His ensemble, CIRT, spent three months travelling through African villages with an outdoor performance staged in a non-existent language in order to study the extent to which non-literary theatre can function communicatively. Street Theatre may also be used to showcase diverse and extraordinary skills. At its best, it can provoke discussion and meaningful dialogue between actors and the audience The form of theatre known as Guerilla Theatre — literally “partisan theatre” — emerged in the 1920s and reached its artistic peak in the 1960s. Performances staged in public spaces (streets, squares, subway stations, office lobbies, restaurants) startled unsuspecting passers-by. Short scenes and dialogues provoked observers to take a stance, initiated discussion, or elicited reactions from people unaware that they had become participants in a theatrical event. Street Theatre is likely one of the oldest theatrical forms, predating both the development of theatre as an art and the creation of designated performance spaces. Typically presented outdoors in public areas, it is often described as a “found performance,” because both performers and audiences make use of whatever space happens to be available. It may incorporate juggling, stilt-walking and stilt dancing, magic, physical theatre, pantomime, mask work, circus arts, clowning, fire performance, slapstick comedy, busking, and bicycle or unicycle skills. It usually relies on minimal scenography — if any — and no amplification, though many contemporary companies now employ a range of technical tools.