Ku alternatywnej historii scenicznej Halki Stanisława Moniuszki O przedstawieniu Halki Opery Robotniczej w Krakowie (1956)

This article takes as its starting point the postulate that the stage history of Stanisław Moniuszko’s opera Halka should be revised to include in its historiography also social and political criteria, going beyond the previously adopted artistic and patriotic ones. To illustrate and support this postulate, three radically different forgotten stagings of Halka from the period 1944–1956 are recalled: in the Nazi- occupied Kraków, in the ruined Wrocław, and another one in Kraków, during the final months of Stalinism. This last-named performance, prepared by the Workers’ Opera in Kraków in July 1956, is presented in detail. It was directed by StanisławDrabik, the initiator of the Workers’ Opera. The article discusses his concept of the staging, its the relation to the famous performances of Halka directed by Leon Schiller, and its critical reception.