24.
04.
2026.
Department
Acting
Acting
We invite you to the 44th Drama Schools’ Festival, which will take place in Łódź from 18th to 24th, May. Come and see the most talented actors at the beginning of their acting careers.
We will once again be opening up Łódź's theatre stages to acting students from all Polish theatre schools: the Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow with branches in Bytom and Wrocław, the Theatre Academy in Warsaw, and the Lodz Film School. We eagerly await the graduation plays, which we will see on the stages of the Nowy Theatre named after K. Dejmek, the Studyjny Theatre, the Arlekin Theatre, and the Lodz Film School. Directing will be in the hands of Paweł Miśkiewicz, Adam Orzechowski, Aleksandra Popławska, and Jacek Braciak.
This May festival week in Łódź is always an extraordinary time – both for acting students and all those who love good theatre. On stage, there will be young people who are just about to graduate, making a step closer to starting their careers at a crucial moment in their lives. In the audience, a crowd eager for theatrical experiences, jurors tackling the ambitious task of selecting outstanding roles, and their colleagues cheering on the students. And all around them: roles, words, sounds, gestures, and forms – the rich language of theatre, which the actors have been learning to use over the past four years, making it accessible for the audience whilst conveying a full spectrum of meaning and emotion.
The rich history of the Łódź Drama Schools Festival (the festival has been running since 1983) assures us that this year's graduation plays will feature outstanding performances, and that the Łódź stages will feature those we will soon see in spectacular theatre and film roles. The Łódź Drama Schools award winners include Zbigniew Zamachowski, Robert Więckiewicz, Kinga Preis, Michał Żebrowski, Tomasz Schuchardt, and Maria Dębska. Who will claim the festival awards this year?
The challenge of selecting outstanding acting students was taken up this year by the Jury composed of: Jerzy Kapuściński (artistic director of the Munk Studio), Andrzej Konopka (actor), Paweł Kulka (TR Warszawa), Aneta Kyzioł (columnist, "Polityka") and Eliza Kujan (Ministry of Culture and National Heritage).
The Drama Schools Festival isn't just about plays. The programme also includes a meeting with Robert Więckiewicz; "You Don't Make Films for Yourself – Andrzej Wajda's Artistic Approach"—a lecture and panel discussion on Andrzej Wajda's work, featuring Krystyna Janda, Jerzy Radziwiłłowicz, Paweł Edelman, and Milenia Fiedler; the "DSF Winners on the Big Screen" series—film screenings and meetings with Sandra Korzeniak and Piotr Trojan; and performance workshops organized in collaboration with the Lodz Film School and the ADiT Drama and Theatre Agency. All these events are open to the public and admission is free. We invite you to join us!
This will be a true celebration of young theatre! We're rooting for all the participants in this year's 44th edition of the Łódź Drama Schools Festival. This is your time. The stage is yours!
Festival info: festiwalszkolteatralnych.pl
ORGANIZER
Lodz Film School
CO-ORGANIZERS
Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow
Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow, Bytom Branch
Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow, Wrocław Branch
Academy of Theatre in Warsaw
Studyjny Theatre in Łódź
Kazimierz Dejmek Nowy Theatre in Łódź
CO-FINANCED BY
The Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.
Project co-financed by the City of Łódź
HONORARY PATRONAGES
Minister of Culture and National Heritage Marta Cienkowska
Lodz Voivode Dorota Ryl
Marshal of the Lodz Voivodeship Joanna Skrzydlewska
Mayor of the City of Lodz Hanna Zdanowska
PARTNERS
Henryk Ryl Arlekin Puppet Theatre in Łódź, Medicus Clinic, TOYA, Opus Film, Polish Actors' Union ZZAP, Polish Stage Artists' Union ZASP, University of Łódź, ADiT Drama and Theatre Agency, MPK Łódź, P29 Club, Charlie Cinema, Kamera Akcja Festival MEDIA
PATRONAGES
TVP Kultura, TVP Łódź, TVP INFO, TV Toya, Dziennik Łódzki, Radio NOWY ŚWIAT, Radio Łódź, E-Teatr.pl, THEATRE FOR ALL, Dziennik Teatralny, Teatralny.pl, Come to the Theatre, Newspaper of the Student Scientific Circle of Theatre Studies TUPOT
graphic design: KUKI Krzysztof Iwański, iwanski.co
This May festival week in Łódź is always an extraordinary time – both for acting students and all those who love good theatre. On stage, there will be young people who are just about to graduate, making a step closer to starting their careers at a crucial moment in their lives. In the audience, a crowd eager for theatrical experiences, jurors tackling the ambitious task of selecting outstanding roles, and their colleagues cheering on the students. And all around them: roles, words, sounds, gestures, and forms – the rich language of theatre, which the actors have been learning to use over the past four years, making it accessible for the audience whilst conveying a full spectrum of meaning and emotion.
The rich history of the Łódź Drama Schools Festival (the festival has been running since 1983) assures us that this year's graduation plays will feature outstanding performances, and that the Łódź stages will feature those we will soon see in spectacular theatre and film roles. The Łódź Drama Schools award winners include Zbigniew Zamachowski, Robert Więckiewicz, Kinga Preis, Michał Żebrowski, Tomasz Schuchardt, and Maria Dębska. Who will claim the festival awards this year?
The challenge of selecting outstanding acting students was taken up this year by the Jury composed of: Jerzy Kapuściński (artistic director of the Munk Studio), Andrzej Konopka (actor), Paweł Kulka (TR Warszawa), Aneta Kyzioł (columnist, "Polityka") and Eliza Kujan (Ministry of Culture and National Heritage).
The Drama Schools Festival isn't just about plays. The programme also includes a meeting with Robert Więckiewicz; "You Don't Make Films for Yourself – Andrzej Wajda's Artistic Approach"—a lecture and panel discussion on Andrzej Wajda's work, featuring Krystyna Janda, Jerzy Radziwiłłowicz, Paweł Edelman, and Milenia Fiedler; the "DSF Winners on the Big Screen" series—film screenings and meetings with Sandra Korzeniak and Piotr Trojan; and performance workshops organized in collaboration with the Lodz Film School and the ADiT Drama and Theatre Agency. All these events are open to the public and admission is free. We invite you to join us!
This will be a true celebration of young theatre! We're rooting for all the participants in this year's 44th edition of the Łódź Drama Schools Festival. This is your time. The stage is yours!
Festival info: festiwalszkolteatralnych.pl
ORGANIZER
Lodz Film School
CO-ORGANIZERS
Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow
Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow, Bytom Branch
Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow, Wrocław Branch
Academy of Theatre in Warsaw
Studyjny Theatre in Łódź
Kazimierz Dejmek Nowy Theatre in Łódź
CO-FINANCED BY
The Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.
Project co-financed by the City of Łódź
HONORARY PATRONAGES
Minister of Culture and National Heritage Marta Cienkowska
Lodz Voivode Dorota Ryl
Marshal of the Lodz Voivodeship Joanna Skrzydlewska
Mayor of the City of Lodz Hanna Zdanowska
PARTNERS
Henryk Ryl Arlekin Puppet Theatre in Łódź, Medicus Clinic, TOYA, Opus Film, Polish Actors' Union ZZAP, Polish Stage Artists' Union ZASP, University of Łódź, ADiT Drama and Theatre Agency, MPK Łódź, P29 Club, Charlie Cinema, Kamera Akcja Festival MEDIA
PATRONAGES
TVP Kultura, TVP Łódź, TVP INFO, TV Toya, Dziennik Łódzki, Radio NOWY ŚWIAT, Radio Łódź, E-Teatr.pl, THEATRE FOR ALL, Dziennik Teatralny, Teatralny.pl, Come to the Theatre, Newspaper of the Student Scientific Circle of Theatre Studies TUPOT
graphic design: KUKI Krzysztof Iwański, iwanski.co