“Hamlet” and alleged nepotism of Jan Englert. “Suspicions are unjustified”

When Jan Englert cast his wife Beata Ścibakówna – actress of the National Theater in Warsaw – and daughter (guest) Helena Englert in “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, accusations of nepotism appeared. The current National Directorate has stated that allegations of nepotism are unfounded. “It's nonsense,” said Jan Klata, who will take over the bosses in this theater in September, in an interview with Monika Olejnik.

81-year-old Jan Englert He has been associated with the National Theater since 1997. The then national artistic director – Jerzy Grzegorzewski – created a new acting team of the theater, which consumed the fire in 1985. The first premiere of the national directed by Grzegorzewski was the “November night” by Stanisław Wyspiański, in which Englert also played.

Krzysztof Torończyk has been the main director of the National Theater since 1996 – in 1996-1998 he was the managing director of the National Theater connected with the Grand Theater – the National Opera. It is the Torończyk that will be replaced by Jan Klata in September this year.

In 2003, Jan Englert was appointed for the artistic director – and more precisely the Deputy Director for Artistic Matters. Belonging to a small group of the most outstanding Polish theater, film and television actors, Englert, as a director in a national, debuted the implementation of Molier's “School of Wives” in 2000.

In 2005, his first implementation after taking the position of artistic director of the stage was the performance “Power” by Nick Dear. Over the next 20 years, he directed 10 more titles. The twelfth – and as it turned out the last – directed by Englert, the spectacle at the National Theater is “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, whose premiere took place last Friday (April 12). The choice of “farewell” art was thought out.

– There is nothing more outstanding – from the literature side, her wisdom – than “Hamlet”, so it's hard to say goodbye. I played Hamlet, directed “Hamlet” – said Englert in an interview with Piotr Guszkowski, published on March 20 in Wyborcza.pl.

It is worth recalling that on the stage of the Warsaw National Theater “Hamlet” for the last time – at least this is the result of the “Encyclopedia of the Polish Theater” website – it was created in 1970 directed by Adam Hanuszkiewicz.

Englert: End, I won't explain myself anymore

At the end of January this year, there were voices of indignation around the “Hamlet” implemented by Englert, accusing the director nepotismbecause in art he cast his daughter Helena and wife – Beata Ścibakówna. But not only.

While Ścibakówna has been employed in the national one since 1997, Helena Englert's playing Ombuds was involved in hospitality. The 24-year-old actress graduated from the Theater Academy named after last year. Aleksander Zelwerowicz in Warsaw. The director's decision to entrust the role of Hamlet to a student of the Warsaw Theater Academy, 21-year-old Hugo Tarres.

– Play Hamlet is a distinction, and I cast a debutant, a student of theater school. It must piss off. I met Hugo Tarres in the second year. This is talent, maybe not yet lifted, but it takes time for it. In addition, I cast my own daughter, “Englert pointed out in an interview with Guszkowski.

It is worth recalling that in 2015 Krzysztof Garbaczewski in his implementation “Hamlet” in the National Old Theater in Krakow in the main role was filled with the studying 23-year-old Bartosz Bielenia. On the other hand, Jaśmina Pole played the barbaczewski, who was at the age of Englertyna.

– My daughter has already made a position, I don't help her at all. Being an acting child is no handicap, on the contrary. I sat for years at entrance exams and saw that there is a strange reluctance in my colleagues, which means that the acting child must fall five times better than others to get. I have greater requirements for children myself, “Englert pointed out.

The director of “Hamlet” also confessed that he himself urged Helena to take the role of Ophelia. – I asked the month, I explained that it may be the only chance for us to meet in the profession, especially in the director and actress – he added. – Even if casting your own daughter in the performance would be nepotism – and in my opinion it is not – it is natural and should be understood, if we have at least a bit of empathy that if someone goes away, says goodbye, he wants to have loved ones with them. End, I won't explain myself anymore – he said.

Current director: suspicions of nepotism are unjustified

A similar opinion is the current director of the National – Krzysztof Torończyk, who, together with the members of the Artistic Council of the National Theater (composed of: Dominika Kluźniak, Tomasz Kulikowski, Sławomir Łozińska, Jerzy Radziwiłowicz), on January 23, published a statement.

We read in it that in the event of resignation from the position of the artistic director “staging 'Hamlet' – a capacious and ambiguous text – will be largely original: it will be an artist's settlement with a theater and a summary of his path.”

“All staging decisions, including the cast, result from this assumptions. It can be reminded here that the predecessor of Jan Englert – Jerzy Grzegorzewski also said goodbye to the national scene with the author's performance 'He. The second return of Odyssia', realized on the basis of the text of his daughter Antonina

New director: It's nonsense

Jan Klata also took the floor in this matter, who will cover the reins from the hands of Torończyk on September 1, 2025. Klata was a guest of the last episode of the “Monika Olejnik. Opening” program, which was released on April 11 – the day before the premiere of “Hamlet” in the implementation of Englert.

He said that he had nothing wrong with the director of the National Theater as the director of the National Theater, that Jan Englert cast his daughter Helena in the role of Ophelia.

– All these discussions on this subject – “scandal”, “Hańba”, “Nepotism” – this is nonsense. Nepotism is an unjustified favoring of your family. Whether this is nepotism, whether it is not nepotism, we will first see at the premiere, because I have not seen Helena in this role yet. However, in the case of Queen Gertruda (which Beata Ścibakówna plays – ed.) It is already known that there is no nepotism – said Klata.

Scandal or a lot of noise for nothing?

The PWN Polish Dictionary “Nepotism” defines as: “1. Favorizing relatives and friends when filling high positions and distributing dignity by influential people; 2. In the Middle Ages and revival: the system of privileging by their relatives by the popes.”

Therefore, nepotism would be a situation in which Helena Englert would not cope with the challenge of the form of Ophelia. However, the first reviews that appeared after Friday's premiere show that Englertyna played great. Jacek Cieślak in “Rzeczpospolita” stated that Tarres and Helena Englert “created a duo of dreams: strong, wise, contemporary.”

“So what is Ophelia Helena Englert? Maybe this is not an outstanding role, but the role is certainly successful. Helena Englert brings energy into a rather short, boring spectacle of Jan Englert. She is convincing and funny when she turns into a moralizing mole Rhythm, its scenes give the pace ” – we read in the review of Witold Mrozek (” Wyborcza “).

It is worth finding out about whether Helena Englert actually met the challenge. “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare directed by Jan Englert this season will be played on April 15-17, 7-9 May, 4-5 and 25-26 June.