Jan Klata to take over as director of the National Theatre

Minister Hanna Wróblewska has entrusted Jan Klata with the post of director of the National Theatre in Warsaw following interviews with the candidates. The director will take up his post at the start of the new theatre season in September.

He studied directing at the State Higher School of Theatre in Warsaw and at the Stanisław Wyspiański Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków. He was an assistant to Jerzy Grzegorzewski, Jerzy Jarocki and Krystian Lupa. To his credit, he has staged more than 30 performances in Polish and foreign theatres. In 2013-2017 he was the director of the Helena Modrzejewska National Old Theatre in Krakow.

His directing debut was Nikolai Gogol's ‘The Inspector’ (Jerzy Szaniawski Theatre in Wałbrzych, 2003). His position as a director was confirmed, however, by his original staging of William Shakespeare's ‘Hamlet’, entitled ‘H.’ (Wybrzeże Theatre in Gdańsk, 2004). Among the plays directed by Jan Klata, the most acclaimed were: ‘A Mechanical Orange’ based on the novel by Anthony Burgess (Wrocław Contemporary Theatre, 2005), “Transfer!” (Wrocław Contemporary Theatre, 2006), “Szewcy u bram” based on Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (TR Warsaw, 2007), “The Danton Case” by Stanisława Przybyszewska (Polish Theatre in Wrocław, 2008) or the adaptation of “Trilogy” by Henryk Sienkiewicz's ‘Trilogy’ (National Stary Theatre in Krakow, 2009). For his staging of William Shakespeare's ‘King Lear’ (2013), Jan Klata was awarded the prestigious Golden Yorick prize, awarded to the best Polish interpretation of Shakespeare's works. He is also the winner of the Polityka Passport and the Konrad Swinarski Award - granted by the editors of the ‘Teatr’ monthly - for the best director of the season. The closed formula of the competition for the director of the National Theatre in Warsaw was worked out in consultation with representatives of the community and the Theatre's management.