The Exile Mission
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Anna D. Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann. The Exile Mission
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The Exile Mission
Series Editor: John J. Bukowczyk, Wayne State University
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The story of Polish actors who were a part of the first wave of war refugees represents another example of an attempt to recreate the Polish artistic community in the United States. One of the most significant initiatives of the war years was the establishment in New York of Polski Teatr Narodowy (Polish National Theater) with the support of Koło Artystów Sceny Polskiej (Polish Actors’ Circle). Their performances evoked much enthusiasm, especially among the most recent arrivals from Poland. The repertoire featured classic Polish historical dramas and comedies, occasional programs (for example, for New Year’s Eve), and some new plays by Polish exile authors. By contrast, the company’s artistic tours to some of Old Polonia’s smaller centers did not meet with a great deal of success. Blamed for the failure was the supposedly high intellectual level of the repertoire, which did not appeal to a Polonian audience accustomed to lighter entertainment. Additionally, frequent references to wartime experiences in Poland were hard for the viewers to identify with, and high ticket prices and a lack of energetic management and marketing further hurt the ambitious theater company.67
In the fall of 1942 the Polish Actors’ Circle announced the establishment of Polski Teatr Artystów (Polish Artists’ Theater), subsidized by the Polish government in exile in London. The majority of actors who had participated in the Polish National Theater now transferred to the new company. Its nature was, however, very different. From the beginning it was designed as an artistic enterprise which would cater mostly to the tastes of recent Polish refugees who planned to return to Poland as soon as possible. The theater, despite some success, never achieved its objective of becoming a permanent center for the Polish performing arts in New York. When the governmental subsidies ended in 1945, the company ceased to exist. Most of the actors followed different career paths, including radio programs and individual tours to smaller communities in the country, or else returned to Poland.68
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