Alternative Theatre in Poland, 1954-89

The complex nature of the relationship between theatre and politics is explored in this study of the Polish theatre scene. It traces the development of the alternative theatre movement from its origins in the 1950s, through the 1960s - when government censorship forced it to become less politically active, into the 1970s - a period of political liberalization when the movement reached its zenith, and finally through the solidarity period of the 1980s in which the movement declined in societal importance.