book as well as Masonic symbols (including the controversial theory of Mickiewicz being a communist). Performances A performance of Dziady took place in Kraków's Teatr Miejski (City Theater) in 1901, directed by Stanisław Wyspiański. After the communist takeover of Poland, the new government discouraged the staging of Dziady. The first postwar production, a major cultural event, opened in November 1945, during the 1945-46 theater season, at Teatr Miejski in Opole. It was guest-directed by Jerzy Ronard Bujanski of Teatr Stary (the Old Theater) in Kraków, who also starred as Konrad. Three years later, Leon Schiller began work on a production of Dziady at Teatr Polski (the Polish Theater) in Warsaw. The opening night was planned for December 1948, but was canceled for a number of reasons, some political. The next production of Dziady in post-World War II Poland was staged only after Joseph Stalin's death and took place in November 1955 at Warsaw's Teatr Polski. The first ever full staging of the Dziady was directed by Michal Zadara and was premiered on February 20, 2016. The performance lasted 14 hours and included six breaks. It began at noon and lasted until 2 in the morning. References External links English translation of 'Great Improvisation' - Part Three, Scene Two Full Polish Text of Dziady Dziady - Adam Mickiewicz Polish poems Polish plays Unfinished plays Unfinished poems Works by Adam Mickiewicz Lithuania in fiction Plays set in Poland Polish messianism