Piotr Cieplak

Piotr Cieplak (born 1960). He studied theatre science at the State School of Theatre in Warsaw and theatre directing at the State School of Theatre in Krakow. He learnt from Jerzy Jarocki, Andrzej Wajda i TEATR ÓSMEGO DNIA. His debut were one-act plays by Aleksander Fredro at Horzyca Theatre in Toruń, under Krystyna Meissner's direction. He took part in Peter Brook's master classes.

The most important production, which shaped Cieplak's directing style, was THE TALE OF OUR LORD'S GLORIOUS RESURRECTION by Mikolaj of Wilkowiecko. The director reached to tradition, but at the same time he rejected theatre conventions, trying to find a contemporary means to evoke religious sensations similar to those evoked by ancient mysteries. Cieplak staged the old Polish drama twice: at Wroclawski Teatr Wspolczesny and in Warsaw, at Teatr Dramatyczny. This is also where he directed Miron Bialoszewski's CRUSADES and THE GREEN-FEATHERED BIRD by Carlo Gozzi.

Rozmaitosci Theatre, where he was the artistic director, was promoted with the slogan "the city's  fastest theatre". Yet, he himself chose texts of little commercial potential, like DOG'S LAST WILL by Ariano Suassuna. After leaving Rozmaitosci Theatre, he directed plays at Wroclawski Teatr Wspolczesny (THE TALE OF JACOB after Wyspiański), Teatr Studio in Warsaw (WINNIE THE P. after A. A. Milne) and Powszechny Theatre (KING LEAR by William Shakespeare).

"The uniqueness of Cieplak's theatre is not based only on the fact that he practices truly religious theatre in the times when it is so difficult to to bring theatre back to its sacred roots,. (...) We could compare Piotr Cieplak, keeping all proportions, to Hugo Hofmannstahl or Paul Claudel who strove to reconstruct the links with the rashly rejected tradition of medieval spectacles." (Pawel Gozliński, "Notatnik Teatralny" 16-17/1998)
 

Major theatre awards:

1991 – 17th OPOLE THEATRE CONFRONTATIONS award for the young director, for MADAGASCAR QUEEN'S SOLDIER w Teatrze im. Wilama Horzycy w Toruniu

1994 – 19th OPOLE THEATRE CONFRONTATIONS Grand Prix for the production THE TALE OF OUR LORD'S GLORIOUS          RESURRECTION at Wroclawski Teatr Wspolczesny

1998 – 8th INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL "KONTAKT" – award for visual beauty, for the production DOG'S LAST WILL from Rozmaitosci Theatre in Warsaw