METHODS Of COMMUNICATION WITH THE AUDIENCE IN PUBLIC THEATER IN OPOLE (1945-1974)

Abstract

The article explores the promotional methods of the public theatre in Opole within the period of 1945-1975. In the three decades following WWII, the institution operated as: Teatr Miejski im. Juliusza Słowackiego, Scena Opolska Teatrów Śląsko-Dąbrowskich and Państwowy Teatr Ziemi Opolskiej respectively. In 1975 the theatre is granted the new headquarters and is named Teatr im. Jana Kochanowskiego. The article examines themes of the informational and promotional activities carried out by the theatre, initiating and maintaining a relationship with its audiences both within the city and the wider region, advertising strategies and related activities. Further, the article presents the fundamental concepts regarding communication with the audiences introduced in the 1940s and the development of those concepts in the following decades. It outlines ideas and strategies employed in direct communication with the audience, media focused communications and emphasises the significance of the traveling theatre events. Finally, it discusses strategies employed in constructing the repertoire. The influence of the government pressures within the arts (and particularly of the centrally planned economy system prevalent at the time) on the repertoire selection and funding is a particular focus.  A provincial theatre located in Opole, with its location within the region of the country known as the Reclaimed Territories, provides an interesting example for a discussion and reflection about the place of the arts within the community, its audiences and its central management in post-war Poland. The methods employed in order to both balance the pressures imposed on the institution by the establishment and the efforts to attract and maintain the relationship with the viewer are the primary focus of the article. This outline of the evolution of the promotional and PR strategies implemented by the theatre throughout the post-war years becomes a reflection on the messages communicated by the arts institutions to the audience and an attempt to analyse and decode those communications.