Jakub Skrzywanek

Country: Poland

Biography

Jakub Skrzywanek (born February 25, 1992 in Wroclaw) is a Polish theater director, playwright, creator of performance installations and artistic director of the National Old Theater in Krakow.

His work addresses political and social issues. His first internationally famous performance was ‘Mein Kampf’, based on Adolf Hitler’s book, in which he looked at contemporary fascist tendencies.

In his other works he touches topics of human rights, violence against women or LGBTQ+ rights. His most important recent performances have been ‘The Death of John Paul II‘, in which he looked at the last hours of Karol Wojtyła’s dying and how this death was presented in the media and public space, and ‘Spartacus. Love in times of plague’, in which he touched on the exclusion of LGBTQ+ people in Poland and the crisis of child psychiatry in Poland. In the final scene he organizes performative weddings of same-sex couples, which are still banned in Poland.

In 2022, he directed a performance in Tashkent called « Underground Girls, » based on the story of Afghan women who escaped from Kabul in August 2021. The premiere of the play was blocked by Uzbek authorities, after several days of protests the premiere took place, the play is still performed today.

Director of The National Stary Theater in Kraków, before that he was the youngest theater artistic director in Poland at the Contemporary Theatre in Szczecin, in the seasons 2023-25. He curates the international programme for the Vaba Lava Theater in Tallinn.

Mein Kampf

Duration — 150 minutes (1 intermission)

Synopsis

Adolf Hitler’s *Mein Kampf* is often dismissed as poorly written and irrelevant, yet it remains one of the most influential books of the 20th century, continuously translated, published, and sold globally. Despite its historical context, it still circulates in bookstores and online. As the book’s copyright expired in 2016, it is more accessible than ever. The book raises crucial questions about modern hate speech, fascism, and nationalism, especially as these ideologies resurface today. On Poland’s centenary of independence, nationalist marches and fascist symbols are increasingly visible, prompting us to reflect on our own role in enabling such ideologies.

The playwright, Professor Grzegorz Niziołek about « Mein Kampf »: here.

The performance is for viewers over 18 years of age.

The performance was part of the celebration of the Anti-Fascist Year: www.rokantyfaszystowski.org.

Patron of the performance: « NEVER AGAIN » Association

The performance uses a strobe effect (light pulsating at a high frequency) and low-frequency sounds. If you are sensitive to this type of lighting and sound, please be especially careful.

Talking about combat. Language. Right. Action

The premiere of « Mein Kampf » was accompanied by a series of meetings devoted to contemporary manifestations of nationalist ideology: here

Cast: Klara Bielawka, Aleksandra Bożek, Arkadiusz Brykalski, Mamadou Góo Bâ, Natalia Lange, Oskar Stoczyński

directed by Jakub Skrzywanek

dramaturgy – Grzegorz Niziołek

set and costume design – Agata Skwarczyńska

music – Karol Nepelski

choreography – Agnieszka Kryst

video – Magda Mosiewicz

assistant set designer – Karolina Srpkowá

stage manager – Barbara Sadowska