On November 27, 2026, the premiere of the play “Succession,” directed by Anna Smolar, will take place on the Józef Szajna Main Stage at Teatr Studio. The performance, inspired by Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s classic play “Life Is a Dream,” is the director's second production at this Warsaw theater. According to the organizer, the show will last two hours, from 19:00 to 21:00, and will be staged on the named stage.
Plot Context and Directorial Vision
The play is a political fiction with elements of philosophy, examining the mechanisms of influence inheritance and the tension between individual freedom and social roles. In Calderón’s original drama, the action takes place in the fictional Polish Kingdom, where King Bazyl, under the influence of an astrological prophecy, imprisons his own son, Sigismund. In Anna Smolar’s adaptation, sources indicate that the character of Bazyl is portrayed as a monarch with progressive views, giving the story a contemporary, reflective dimension.
The script focuses on the fate of Sigismund, a boy abandoned in early childhood, and the dynamics of his relationships with his two “fathers”: one present and the other absent. As noted by the organizer, the protagonist's life remains in a fragile balance until a secret regarding his origin is revealed. This intrigue serves as a pretext for analyzing key challenges of modernity in the context of family and state power.
Cast and Production
The cast includes, among others, Dominika Biernat, Daniel Dobosz, Marcin Pempuś, Sonia Roszczuk, Rob Wasiewicz, and Marta Zięba. Choreography for the production is by Flore Laroche, a French dancer, choreographer, visual artist, and pedagogue. While information regarding the full cast and technical details is provided on an informational basis by the theater, the list of performers includes recognized names in the Polish theatrical environment.
Anna Smolar, regarded as one of the most important contemporary Polish directors, continues her creative collaboration with the Warsaw stage through this performance. The premiere of “Succession” marks another point in Teatr Studio’s repertoire, offering audiences an interpretation of a classic text in a new, political-philosophical light.