"Maska" Theatre in Rzeszów is the only professional puppet theatre in Podkarpacie region. The theatre repertoire includes variety of performances for children, teenagers and adults. There are about 350 performances a year and about 55 000 viewers. The Theatre performs on its own stage and on stages in the whole Podkarpacie region. The "Maska" Theatre also runs the theatre education, which familiarizes young viewers with tricks of the theatre trade. In the theatre's foyer there is a Gallery, which enables debuts of the young talented artists.
"Maska" Theatre in Rzeszów was created on the basis of Puppet and Actor Theatre "Kacperek", theatre of a long-term tradition. "Kacperek" arouse in 1953 as an amateur puppet theatre in the Community Centre of Polish administrative unit in Jarosław. It came into being from the theatre passion, which its founder Izabela Melińska presented. The year 1956 was the crucial one for the "Kacperek" Theatre. It was nationalized and it became an institution. This is a date, which is regarded as a beginning of a professional activity of this puppet theatre. "Kacperek" was moved to Rzeszów in 1957.
For 45 years of this theatre activity it did not have its own stage. It existed as a travelling theatre, playing in the rented schools' halls and community centres in Podkarpacie region. In 1999 it moved to its own theatre building with a modern stage, changing the name for The Puppet and Actor Theatre "Kacperek" to "Maska" Theatre. In the same time it became a municipal theatre.
The artistic theatre output includes 191 premieres. The majority of them are those for young and the youngest viewers. There were many famous Polish puppet directors who were cooperating with Rzeszów theatre (among others: Jan Dorman, Włodzimierz Dobromilski, Janusz Galewicz, Joanna Piekarska, Zbigniew Poprawski, Jan Potiszyl, Andrzej Rettinger, Wojciech Wieczorkiewicz, Jerzy Zitzman) and stage designers (among others: Jan Berdyszak, Ali Bunsch, Adam Kilian, Andrzej Łabiniec, Zygmunt Smandzik, Zenobiusz and Rajmund Strzelecki).
Many times "Maska" Theatre was performing abroad including such countries as: Austria, Belgium, France, Iran, Yugoslavia, Slovakia, Turkey, and Ukraine. It also got many rewards such as Grand Prix of the International Puppet Theatre Festival in Zagreb for the performance "The Prince of Portugal" by J. Knauth (1977) and the first price for the performance "The adventures of highwayman Rumcajs", by V. Ctvrtek (1980); several main prices for the performance "Hey, from leg to leg", by Z. Poprawski on the 4th Festival of Puppet Theatres in Opole (1973). "Maska" Theatre was honoured by the Polish Ministry of Culture for its artistic activity addressed to children and youth.
TEATR "MASKA"
35-064 Rzeszów, ul. Mickiewicza 13
tel: 017 86 26 808
http://www.teatrmaska.pl
