Henryk Tomaszewski
Dancer, mime, choreographer, director, educator, founder and director of the Wrocław Mime Theatre.
He was born on November 20, 1919 in Poznań. In 1945, he enrolled in the Dramatic Studio Iwo Galla in Krakow, he also took private dance lessons.
In 1946-47 he collaborated with the Polish Academic Theatre, preparing pantomime scenes and choreographies. From 1946 to 1947 he studied and danced in Feliks Parnell's Polish Ballets.
In 1949, he became involved in the ballet of the Wrocław Opera, till 59' he danced 11 roles, the creations were hailed as Peacock (Pew and the Girl), Li Szan Fu (Red Poppy), Devil (Mr. Twardowski), the dramatic features of the figure and innovative artistic means were emphasized.
In May 1955, at the International Festival of Youth and Students in Warsaw, he received a silver medal for his mimic etude Virtuoso. This influenced the establishment of the Studio in 1956, and from 1959 of the Wrocław Mime Theatre.
Until 1962, he performed on stage, his interpretations of Akakiusz in The Coat, the title Woyzeck, or Figurine of Death from The Shooting Range have become a permanent part of the history of the theatre.
Henryk Tomaszewski in Etude, 1950s, IV by Stefan ArczynskiWroclaw Mime Theatre
Henryk Tomaszewski prepared XXIV Programs in his theater, from X – Departure of Faust, they were full-length spectacles.
He was the first in Poland to start educating mimes
After graduating from the Studio at WMT, obtained the status of a professional mime actor. He has choreographed numerous times in dramatic and operatic performances.
Henryk Tomaszewski in En passant (1957) (1957) by Stefan ArczynskiWroclaw Mime Theatre
From 1967, he worked in dramatic theaters as a director, giving performances an original value by searching for the sources of words in gestures and movement and extracting unexpected possibilities from actors.
In reviews of his performances
the term "masterpiece" was often used. His production of E. Ionesco's Game of Killing at the Polish Theater in Wrocław was considered a work of genius. As a director, he also worked abroad, e.g. in Sweden, Norway, Germany.
He moved his stagings from WMT to theaters in Amsterdam. He moved his stagings from WMT to theaters in Amsterdam, Oslo and Copenhagen several times. As a choreographer and stage director, he worked in Polish, Danish and German opera houses.
He particularly appreciated two of his productions: prepared with Konrad Swinarski at La Scala in Milan by Hans Werner Henze's Menads and Carlheinz Stockhausen's Dienstag aus Licht at the Opera in Leipzig.
Tomaszewski was also a well-known collector
In November 1994, the Municipal Museum of Toys from the collection of Henryk Tomaszewski was opened in Karpacz, presenting a collection collected since 1967 and including toys from the 17th to the 20th century.
He died on September 23, 2001 in Kowary
He was buried in the historic cemetery at the Wang Temple in Karpacz.
60s by E. HatrwigWroclaw Mime Theatre
He will be remembered as a great pantomime reformer.
"I succumbed to French mimes, for example in The Coat, but I felt that I had to expand the art of pantomime, move away from the recital, solo performance, create a group art, a collective of mimes"
(J. Hera, Henryk Tomaszewski and his theatre, Warsaw 1983)
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The article uses photos by Stefan Arczyński courtesy of the Wrocław City Museum.
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