Biennale history
The story of the poster at the Wanda Siemaszkowa Theatre in Rzeszów is far less obvious than it may seem today. This is particularly striking given that the theatre is now the organizer of the International Theatre Poster Biennale, which celebrates its 20th anniversary. Yet for decades, theatrical posters were virtually absent from the city’s cultural landscape.
From the founding of the Rzeszów Land Theatre in 1944 until the 1980s, fewer than ten posters were produced, and those that did exist were created exclusively for the Rzeszów Theatre Meetings festival. As a state-funded institution, the theatre operated in a system where ticket sales were not a primary concern, and promotion played only a marginal role.
A significant change came with the appointment of Wojciech Zeidler as theatre director. Recognizing the potential of visual communication, he sought to bring the theatre into the public space of the city. Premieres were no longer confined to the stage; they became visible throughout Rzeszów through distinctive posters designed to attract audiences and spark curiosity. The transformation was dramatic: within a single year, the theatre began producing as many posters as it had during the previous four decades combined.
Posters also found a new place inside the theatre itself. Exhibitions accompanying premieres showcased works inspired by the productions and their creators, gradually establishing the poster as an integral part of the theatre’s artistic identity.
These developments laid the groundwork for what would eventually become the Biennale. When Stanisław Wieszczycki assumed the position of director and began reshaping the Rzeszów Theatre Meetings into a platform for emerging theatre artists, a parallel initiative was launched in the field of graphic design. The First Biennale of Young Theatre Poster Artists was created to support designers at the beginning of their professional journeys.
The competition’s early years, however, were far from easy. Participation remained modest, and the organizers struggled to attract young designers. Reflecting on the first edition, Władysław Serwatowski – longtime jury chairman and chronicler of the Biennale – noted:
The Biennale, whose aim was to give a new opportunity to young people living in smaller centres, where there are no possibilities for publishing their work, did not confirm the presence of authors from these small communities (…). Young poster designers are not interested in competitions or rivalry subject to public evaluation. They work without enthusiasm, willingness, or faith that their talent and efforts will ever be noticed and appreciated.
– Władysław Serwatowski
Determined to broaden the event’s reach, the organizers opened subsequent editions to international participants and eventually removed age restrictions altogether. The impact was immediate. While the first and second editions each received only 31 submissions and the third attracted 122 posters, the fourth Biennale saw participation rise to nearly 600 entries.
As graphic design historian Krzysztof Dydo observed in the catalogue of the Second Biennale in 1989, young designers often faced significant barriers to professional practice. Established poster artists occupied positions in major theatres, which were reluctant to entrust commissions to newcomers, while smaller institutions frequently lacked the resources to commission original poster designs.
Against this backdrop, the Biennale evolved naturally from a national competition for young artists into the International Theatre Poster Biennale. With each edition, the number of participants grew, the geographical reach expanded, and the exhibition became a unique record of changing trends in graphic design and visual culture around the world.
Today, it is remarkable to consider that a theatre which once made virtually no use of posters as a promotional medium has become one of the leading international centres dedicated to poster art. This achievement, however, is the result of decades of commitment and vision.
Among those who have shaped the Biennale from its very beginning is Krzysztof Motyka – today the Publishing Specialist at the Wanda Siemaszkowa Theatre and curator of the Biennale, previously a poster designer and scenographer. His long-standing involvement has helped guide the event from its modest beginnings to its current international stature, ensuring that the theatre poster remains both a living artistic form and a vital part of the institution’s identity.