Bankruptcy of Little Jack

Jack Fulton lives in America, goes to school, has good parents, friends, a little sister, and also... a really serious school business.

Written over a century ago, Janusz Korczak's book is a story about a boy from primary school who dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. Jack has the opportunity to realize his dream and learn about the complicated world of money thanks to the solidarity and responsibility of his classmates, who pool their own savings to achieve the greatest possible benefit. The National Old Theatre, together with the creators of the play — director Maciej Powszawny and playwright Dorota Kowalkowska, reaches for the book recently restored to the reading list, offering the audience a lesson on community, communication, resourcefulness, as well as how to manage the money we have in order to live happily.

“The Bankruptcy of Little Jack” is a warm and humorous story about the human side of money and civic sensitivity. We invite children and adults to have a frank conversation — with the energetic sounds of drums, guitar, violin, keyboards, melodies and tongue drum — about how to live together in a world that presents complex challenges.

Recommended for the public from the 5th grade of elementary school.

“Bankruptcy of Little Jack” will be presented both in a full stage version and in a mobile format, adapted to non-institutional conditions.

In addition to regular shows on the Nowa Scena at Jagiellońska Street in Kraków, the show will also be presented in towns with limited access to culture in Małopolska, as part of the initiative “The Theatre is Yours! — Redutov Stage of the National Old Theater”. Demonstrations will be integrated into pedagogical workshops.

The new production of the National Old Theater is not only an artistic realization with the highest level of performance, but also an important element of the strategy of development of the young audience.

The four actors — Łukasz Stawarczyk, Krzysztof Stawowy, Bogumiła Bajor and Zbigniew W. Kaleta — use simple but effective means to build a network of tensions between them, where compassion mixes with love, play with fear, and risks with lessons for the future.

Piotr Gaszczyński, Theatre for All

Sensory stimuli: Loud music, drum playing, single screams and crackles, among others.

Bankruptcy of Little Jack — the program

Trips and prizes:

2025 — Initiative “The Theatre is Yours — Redoute Stage of the Old Theatre”

Korczakianum — Museum of Warsaw

Minsk Mazowiecki School

The play was accepted into the 11th Living Classics Competition.

The license to use the musical illustration was granted by the Association of Authors ZAiKS.