Warsaw Theatre Directorate

The Warsaw Theatre Directorate (Warszawskie Teatry Rządowe) was the chief authority for theatres in the Duchy of Warsaw in Warsaw during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was set up by decree of Frederick Augustus I of Saxony on 14 April 1810 as the Rządowa Dyrekcja Teatru (Government Directorate for Theatre), its draft statute having been developed by Wojciecha Bogusławskiego. In 1822 it changed its name to Dyrekcja Teatrów i Wszelkich Widowisk Dramatycznych i Muzycznych w Królestwie (Directorate of all theatres and dramatic and musical performance in the Kingdom), then in 1833 to the Warsaw Theatre Directorate. It ceased to exist in July 1915.

It guided theatrical output and provided theatres with financial stability, enabling shows in Polish to be put on and new theatre buildings to be constructed. Its companies included ones for operettas, ballets, dramas, comedies, the National Theatre and later opera and farce. It had 5 buildings:

Presidents

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The body's president was supported by a board of governors and by directors, and from 1907 by literary managers.

From To President
1810 1813 Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz
1814 1820 Józef Lipiński
1821 1830 Aleksander Rożniecki
1832 1842 Józef Rautenstrauch
1842 1862 Ignacy Abramowicz
1862 1868 A. Hauke
1868 1880 Siergiej Muchanow
1880 1882 Wsiewołod Wsiewołożski
1882 1889 Longin Gudowski
1889 1892 Dymitr Palicyn
1892 1895 Aleksander Karandiejew
1895 1897 Piotr Andriejew
1898 1901 Paweł Iwanow
1901 1908 Konstantin Herschelman
1908 1914 Jurij Małyszew
1914 1915 Jurij Burman

Sources

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  • Bartłomiej tytuł= Encyklopedia Warszawy Kaczorowski: Warszawa: Wydaw. Naukowe PWN, 1994, s. 933, 934. ISBN 83-01-08836-2.
  • Maria Olga Bieńka: Warszawskie teatry rządowe : dramat i komedia : 1890–1915. Warszawa: Instytut Sztuki Polskiej Akademii Nauk, 2003. ISBN 83-89101-12-2.
  • Teatr polski w latach 1890-1918. Warszawa: PWN, 1988, s. 272. ISBN 978-83-01-06777-9.