SCHILLER Leon

Born on 14 March 1887 in Krakow into a Polonized Austrian-Jewish family; son of the owner of a trade agency Leon Schiller de Schildenfeld, and Izydora née Pfau. He was initially home-schooled, before attending St Anna's Secondary School in Krakow between 1897 and 1905. He completed his advanced secondary education as an extramural pupil in 1906. In 1903, together with Juliusz Maluszek (later Osterwa), he staged a school theatre production titled Wieczór Trzech Wieszczów (An Evening with the Three Bards). In 1905, he performed with the Zielony Balonik (Green Balloon) literary cabaret, singing Old Polish and French hymns and songs, as well as pieces he had penned himself. In 1906/07, he was briefly associated with Arnold Szyfman's Figliki (Capers) cabaret. In 1906/07, he studied philosophy and Polish philology at the Jagiellonian University (UJ) in Krakow, where. He was involved in the activities of the academic group Życie (Life). He made his debut in 1907 with a translation from the French of an excerpt of Marcel Schwob's Vies imaginaires (Polish: Żywoty urojone; English: Imaginary Lives), which appeared in the weekly "Nasz Kraj" (1907 vols. 7 and no. 17; and 1908, vol. 2). He abandoned his studies and left for Paris in late 1907 (or early 1908) together with the British woman Madeline Meager (who later used the surname Schiller; they had a son together, Vivian). He attended lectures at the Sorbonne, as well as theatre performances, operas and cabarets in the city. He became acquainted with the British theatre director and theorist Edward Gordon Craig in 1908. The same year, he published in Craig's Florence-based periodical "The Mask" his first article, Two theatres. Introduction to an essay on the grotesque theatre (translated into English by M. Meager, 1908, no. 9, and 1909 nos 10 and 11). He split up with Meager in 1909 and returned to Poland, settling in Warsaw. He began performing with the Momus cabaret, where he sang songs, including some written himself. Following a suicide attempt, he received treatment at the Sankt Blasien sanatorium in Germany. From autumn 1910 to spring 1911, he was again in Paris, where he performed with the Polish cabaret Oberża Pieśniarska (Song Tavern). He co-founded the Society of Polish Artists (Towarzystwo Artystów Polskich) in Paris, performing as a singer and presenting readings of excerpts of his (now lost) dramatic epic poem. After returning to Krakow, he completed a course for graduates of advanced secondary education at the Trade Academy in 1912. He then took an internship in the offices of his father's company. In parallel, he published reviews and articles on theatre in the periodicals "Goniec Poniedziałkowy" (1912) and "Krytyka" (1912-13; including in 1913 the programmatic essays titled Teatralia). He was involved in exhibitions of set designs and models held in Warsaw in 1913 (which he organized) and in Krakow in 1914. Between 1913 and 1916, he was a singer in various concerts, including in 1916 the Wieczór pieśni staropolskich (Evening of Old Polish song) performed in Krakow and other cities, as well as in the political satire show Enkaeńskie zwierciadło, czyli na ciężkie czasy lekkich żartów wiązanka (NKN Mirror or, A bunch of light laughs in difficult times), which he also co-authored. (The NKN stands for Naczelny Komitet Narodowy [Supreme National Council], an organ that served as a form of government during World War I in the regions of Poland under Austrian control). In 1914, he married the actress Zofia Reger, who performed under the stage name Modrzewska (they divorced around 1923). He contributed to the periodical "Czas" and also produced anthologies of Old Polish hymns and carols, as well as folk songs. In 1916/17, he studied music composition and theory under Josef Bohuslav Foerster in Vienna. He returned to Poland in 1917 and in autumn of that year he was involved in organizing the First Exhibition of Polish Expressionists in Krakow. He soon moved to Warsaw, where he made his debut as a theatre director with a production of Tadeusz Konczyński's play Królewna Lilejka (Princess Lilejka) at the Polski Theatre. Between 1918 and 1921, he was literary and musical director of that theatre, where he continued to direct plays, compose music for performances, translate dramas from French, and prepare scripts for theatre productions (making his debut as a scriptwriter in 1919 with Szopka staropolska [Old Polish Nativity]). He also edited the periodical "Teatr", which was published by the Polski Theatre. He joined the Association of Polish Stage Artists (ZASP) in 1919, while in 1922 he was elected to the Association's Supreme Artistic Council. In May 1920, he was a signatory to the Declaration of left-leaning Polish writers (Oświadczenie pisarzy polskich lewicy społecznej). During the Polish Soviet-War in 1920, he was employed at the Central Propaganda Committee. He published articles on theatre in periodicals including "Scena Polska" (1921). In 1921/22, he was active in the Association of Warsaw Theatres, which he co-founded with Ludwik Heller and Ryszard Ordyński. In 1922, he was head of the chamber theatre Maska, co-authored and performed a satirical farce with the Skamander group at the Pikador cabaret, and was a director with the Reduta Theatre, which was led by Juliusz Osterwa. In 1923, Schiller became artistic director of this theatre, where he staged, among other things, performances of Old Polish dramas and his own mystery plays Pastorałka (Pastoral) and Wielkanoc (Easter). These works were also performed during a tour of the eastern borderlands of the interwar Polish republic in 1924. The same year, he was among the members of Reduta who left the company. Schiller became head of the W. Bogusławski Theatre in Warsaw, where he collaborated with Wilam Horzyca in the 1924/25 season and with Aleksander Zelwerowicz in the 1925/26 season. Following the closure of this theatre in 1926, he was a director at the Polski Theatre in Warsaw until 1929, before spending the 1929/30 season at the Miejski (Municipal) Theatre in Lodz, which was run by Karol Adwentowicz. He resigned from his post at the Polski Theatre following the political scandal that ensued after the performance of Bertolt Brecht's The Threepenny Opera. He was a member of the Marxist group associated with Jan Hempel. He was also involved as a director and teacher with amateur workers' theatres linked to the Communist Party of Poland (KPP). He was active in Jędrzej Cierniak's Institute of Folk Theatres, where between 1929 and 1933 he served as deputy director. In 1928, he and Zelwerowicz represented Polish theatres at the anniversary of the Moscow Art Theatre. From 1928, he collaborated with Polish Radio as author and performer of spoken word and musical shows, including the cycle Kuranty staroświeckie (Old World Courantes). He also wrote radio plays. He composed film scores, including the music for Janko Muzykant (Janko the Musician, 1930), and was head of the cinematic adaptation of Stanisław Moniuszko's opera Halka (1936). In 1930, he married the actress Ewa Kuncewicz (they subsequently divorced). The same year, he was appointed artistic director of the Municipal Theatres in Lwow (Ukrainian: Lviv) but was soon relieved of his duties for reasons including his support for the national actors' strike. In 1931, he ran the Melodram Theatre in Warsaw, where he staged musical comedies and vaudeville pieces. In 1932, he again directed at the Municipal Theatres in Lwow following an invitation from their new director W. Horzyca. The same year, he staged a production of Adam Mickiewicz's Dziady (Forefathers' Eve) for the first time. He soon had to leave Lwow, however, following a campaign in the right-wing press that was critical both of his theatre activities (including a production of Sergei Tretyakov's Roar, China! Polish: Krzyczcie Chiny!) and of his support for an international call for peace in light of the threat of war with the USSR that was signed by other left-leaning artists and writers. He was arrested but following interventions by Horzyca, among others, he was released after several hours' interrogation. From 1932 to 1934, he worked as a director and manager, alongside Stefan Jaracz and later K. Adwentowicz, of the Ateneum Theatre in Warsaw. From 1933, he was head of the Department of Directing at the State Institute of Theatrical Arts (PIST) having established the Department himself. In 1936, he set up the Warsztaty Teatralne (Theatre Workshops) company that operated at the school until 1939. From 1934, he was a guest director at numerous Warsaw theatre (including between 1934 and 1937 at theatres that were part of the Association for Promoting Theatre Culture). He also directed plays in Lodz, Wilno (Vilnius), Lwow, Paris and Sofia. In 1935, he received the Golden Laurel award of the Polish Academy of Literature in recognition of his role in promoting admiration for Polish drama. In 1936, he was re-elected to the Supreme Artistic Council of ZASP, also serving until 1937 on the editorial committee of the Association's quarterly "Scena Polska". During the initial period of German occupation, he continued to live in Warsaw, earning a living as a songwriter and accompanist in cafes including Sztuka, Mon Café and Żak. He was actively involved in underground artistic life during the war, giving lectures in the underground PIST theatre school until 1941. He became involved in the Polish Socialist Party – Liberty, Equality, Independence. In 1940, he joined the Secret Theatre Council that was created on the recommendation of the Polish government-in-exile in London. In March 1941, he was arrested by the Gestapo (in connection with the repressions following the assassination of the actor and Nazi collaborator Igo Sym). Following a brief period in Pawiak prison in Warsaw, he was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Here he performed recitals and songs for prisoners in secret alongside Jaracz. He was released in May 1941 thanks to the efforts of his family and returned to Warsaw, where he continued his theatre activities. He staged Pastorałka (1942-43), Gody weselne (Wedding Ceremony; 1943) and Wielkanoc (1944) at the educational institute of the Congreation of the Samaritan Sisters in Henryków, near Warsaw. This institution was led by Sister Benigna (formerly known as the actress Stanisława Umińska). He also worked on producing editions of his theatre work, including one work titled Droga przez teatr (The path through the theatre), which featured essays and memoirs, including those written in Auschwitz (the manuscript is lost) and two volumes of Teatr żywy (Living theatre), which included scores and scripts for performances. These volumes were purchased via Zbigniew Mitzner for the publishing house Wisła, which was to start trading after the war. He collaborated with the theatre section of the Bureau of Information and Propaganda of the Home Army (AK). In June 1944, he became a Benedictine oblate and adopted the monastic name Ardalion. He faced threats from the extreme nationalist wings of the Polish underground, meaning that he went into hiding near Warsaw in Henryków, Niegów and Milanówek. He was involved in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. He also organized artistic performances for uprising soldiers and civilians, as well as producing radio shows for the Błyskawica (Lightning) radio station. The premiere performance of his Kantaty na otwarcie Teatru Narodowego (Cantata for the Opening of the National Theatre) took place at the cafe "U aktorek". Following the defeat of the uprising, he was taken as AK officer to Oflag VII A in Murnau (Bavaria, Germany). Here he organized theatre performances, lectures about theatre, and collaborated with the editors of the camp periodical "TO. Wiadomości Teatru Obozowego". Following the liberation of the camp in April 1945, he established a branch of ZASP in the US and British zones of occupation of Germany and also organized a touring theatre, The W. Bogusławski Folk Theatre in Lingen (Teatr Ludowy im. W. Bogusławskiego w Lingen) under the patronage of the Polish office of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). The theatre performed for Poles who remained in northern Germany and the Netherlands. In December 1945, he returned to Poland and initially settled in Warsaw before moving to Lodz in January 1946. He joined the Polish Workers' Party (PPR) in 1946 (which in 1948 merged with the PPS to form the ruling Polish United Workers' Party – PZPR). He was elected as a representative to the national parliament, the Legislative Sejm, for the period 1947-52. Between 1946 and 1949, he was director of the Polish Army State Theatre in Lodz and was also rector of the State Theatre School (PWST – formerly PIST) in Warsaw, temporarily based in Lodz to 1950. He published the theatre periodical "Łódź Teatralna" (1946-49) and was editor-in-chief of the Warsaw-based theatre monthly "Teatr" (1948-49). In 1947, he toured Czechoslovakia with a production of Wojciech Bogusławski's play Krakowiacy i Górale (The Presumed Miracle, or Krakovians and Highlanders). He was appointed to the Executive Committee of the Paris-based International Theatre Institute (ITI) and to the honorary committee of the periodical "La Revue Théâtrale". In 1949, married the psychologist and theatre historian Irena née Filozof (during the war she went into hiding as Maria Korzyniewska). The same year, he was transferred to Warsaw. During the 1949/50 season, he was director of the Polski Theatre together with its branch at the studio stage, the Kameralny Theatre in Warsaw; some of the productions prepared during his tenure were not permitted for public performance. In 1950, he was forced to resign from his post as rector of PWST and director of the Polski Theatre. The same year, he was made president of the Association of Polish Theatre and Film Artists (SPATiF, which replaced ZASP), while in 1951 he was made head of the theatre section of the State Institute of Arts. He was also responsible for coordinating and editing the Institute's theatre quarterly "Pamiętnik Teatralny". In 1953, he was briefly a lecturer at PWST. In 1949 and 1953, he received the State Artistic Prize. He was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit in 1945, the Order of the Banner of Labour – first class in 1949 and 1953, as well as – posthumously – the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta in 1954. He died on 25 March 1954 in Warsaw, where he is buried at the Powązki Military Cemetery. In 1956, SPATiF established the Leon Schiller prize for young directors and theatre studies scholars. It was awarded regularly until 1971, before being presented intermittently in a different format. In 1989, the Polish Centre of the ITI initiated the establishment of the Leon Schiller Foundation, which is based in Warsaw and awards grants to Polish and international theatre artists and researchers.