The Battle of Culture. Television Theatre — new chapter/Michał Kotański, Wojciech Majcherek/Maja Chitro/PJM

The Television Theatre, which has existed for more than seven decades, has entered a new era. The institution, which over the years has shaped the theatrical sensibility of subsequent generations of spectators, is now undergoing a dynamic transformation under the leadership of Michał Kotański. Since 2024, the director has consistently redefined the image of “the biggest stage in the world”, opening it to new forms of narration, contemporary aesthetics and younger audiences, while not abandoning the achievements of classical television theater, as evidenced by the creation of the “Retro Theater” band, directed by Wojciech Majcherek.

How does managing one of the most recognizable brands of Polish culture look like? How to combine tradition with the expectations of modern audiences? Let's talk about the behind-the-scenes work on the new version of the Television Theater, repertoire choices, cooperation with young generation creators and challenges related to the functioning of the theater in the era of streaming and digital media.

Michał Kotański is a theatre director, a graduate of the Department of Drama Directing at the State Higher Theatre School in Krakow, who also studied philosophy at the University of Warsaw. At the beginning of his career, he gained experience as an assistant to prominent artists such as Andrzej Wajda, Krystian Lupa, Jerzy Jarocki, Mikołaj Grabowski, Jerzy Goliński, Achim Freyer, Declan Donnellan and Dan Jemmett. In his directorial output, he has nearly thirty performances — from intimate dramas to multi-cast productions on big stages.

In the years 2015-2025 he was the director of the Stefan Żeromski Theatre in Kielce. During this time, he established the Kielce International Theater Festival, and also carried out the general, long-term reconstruction of the historic headquarters of the theater. This investment was carried out with the support of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, provincial funds and the EEA Financial Mechanism in partnership with the National Theatre of Iceland.

Since 2024, Michał Kotański has been managing the Polish Television Theatre as its director and editor-in-chief. For the spectacular renewal of this institution in the 2024/2025 season, he was honored with a special prize of the monthly “Theater”. He is also a laureate of the prestigious Zygmunt Hübner Award “THEATRE MAN 2026”

Wojciech Majcherek — Graduate of the Faculty of Theatre Studies of the State Higher Theatre School in Warsaw. Editor of the monthly magazine “Teatr” (1990-2005), editor of TVP Kultura (2005-2019), literary director of the Drama Theater in Warsaw (2020-2022) and head of the Literary Department of the National Theater (2022-2024). Deputy Director of the Television Theater (2024-2026), currently the main specialist. Curator of the Old Theatre in Lublin in 2012-2023. Author of the blog “Not only about theatre”.