The theater business

«Theater for everyone

Warsaw Business Journal sits down with Michał Żebrowski, an acclaimed actor and now founder and artistic director of a private theater, to talk about his new enterprise - Teatr 6. Piętro, opening on March 6 on the sixth floor of Warsaw's Palace of Culture and Science.

Martyna Olik: What made you decide to open a theater?

Michał Żebrowski: It was a joint decision by me and my associate, Eugeniusz Korin - an exceptional director and former head of Teatr Nowy in Poznań.

It stems directly from our cooperation during the last five years. Indirectly, it is also a result of my "leadership streak."

But a theater is not just a building nor is it created by the will of one person. It becomes a theater thanks to the the goodwill of many people. The level and quality of a theater relies on the people that are persuaded to work there, and cooperate with it.

Why did you decide to make it an independent theater?

- Because ours is a unique theater enterprise, something that Poland has yet to see. What I mean is we are not the first, and probably not the last, private theater in Poland, but the first one that does not rely on money from the state.

Various private theaters receive financing from the state budget and we don't. We are not an institution that has financial security in the form of state grants, irrespective of how it does during the year. We pay for our own mistakes with our own money. In my opinion, this is a fairer deal for the audience. If you don't like a play we perform, you may comfort yourself with the thought that it is not sponsored with money from the taxpayer.

What are your sources of financing?

- Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz agreed to invest almost zł.700,000 in the city's own property, by furnishing one of the halls at the Palace of Culture and Science with theatrical equipment. We will pay the money back within three years of [opening]. The city remains the owner of the hall and may still organize other events there. We use the hall on specific days. Thanks to our sponsors, we may be able to realize a much larger plan than we assumed at first. I personally took care of attracting a select group of sponsors.

How do you plan to change Warsaw's theatrical scene?

- Each year of our activity will begin with a new cycle. The first one is "Love, Betrayal and Forgiveness according to Woody Allen" ["Miłość, Zdrada i Wybaczenie według Woody'ego Allena"], including two plays never shown before in Poland.

We also plan a cycle of monodramas commissioned from selected Polish play-

wrights for exceptional Polish actors. Another project is master-classes - a cycle of TV programs, prepared togetherwith one of the TV channels, in which masters of different branches of art initiate professionals and amateurs into the secrets

of their trade. We also want to organize concerts.

How else do you differ from the competition?

- We have topnotch acting in a legendary play by Woody Allen, an amazing director and a hall in a historical building. Our location has a lot of advantages, such as access to secure parking and great train, subway, tram and bus connections. We have a special offer for art academy students - each student with a valid students card gets a free ticket.

Do you cater for non-Polish speakers?

- Our repertoire - Woody Allen - is attractive for foreigners. We are also equipped with an Actor Michał Żebrowski wants to make theater more accessible for the masses earphone port making it possible for non-Polish speakers to listen to simultaneous translations of plays. Although we won't be doing it for just one or two people - we need to know in advance that there is a group interested in a service of this sort.

We have an interesting offer for people from abroad or out-side Warsaw - they can buy a package deal at the Marriott Hotel, which includes a cheaper stay at the hotel, a ticket to one of our shows and to the Warsaw Rising Museum, as well as a 20-percent discount on other services at the hotel.

Does it pay to run your own theater? When do you plan a return on your investment?

- A theater is not a way to survive financially, but a way of life. If you start out with money in mind you will lose. A reward for a play comes when the play is performed at a certain level. Currently, we are concentrating on getting our plays to that level.

How do you plan to incorporate technology into your productions?

- We will use different visualizations during our performances and we have the hecessary eąuipment for that. But if a company wanted to equip us with a sound system - speakers or state-of-the-art consoles - we would be open to cooperation.

Is your theater directed at a specific audience?

- The working name of our theater was "a theater without exclusion" - a theater for all types of audiences. Some theaters perform only comedies, frightening away more serious theatergoers, others concentrate on drama, not catering for those who enjoy comedy.

We want to prove that a theater for everyone is not a theater for no one. We want to attract people who enjoy going out to the theater from time to time.

I would like audiences to trust us and visit us in our new place, as they have visited us when we were performing on the stages of other theaters.»