Name: 30th Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival
Start: 2026-03-22T18:00:00
Location: Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera

Polish National Opera

A series of workshops for visually impaired people and their companions, focusing on conversations about the theatre of the past and its history. Workshops are prepared by Theatre Museum staff, drawing on the sculpture collection. During these workshops, we not only share knowledge but also provide direct access to many valuable artifacts from our collections. This allows visitors to "touch" the history of Polish theatre and the personal stories of extraordinary individuals.

Touch the theater

Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera

What's it like to work on the main stage before the curtain rises? The Open Rehearsal program is a unique opportunity for organized groups from primary and secondary schools to watch a fragment of a musical rehearsal. Artists reveal a glimpse of the performance, inviting students into their creative world.

Open trial

Sunday concerts for families with children, encouraging entire families to experience music together. In the friendly atmosphere and space of the Redutowe Rooms, children can take their first steps as little music lovers and discover the most beautiful works of musical literature.

Big for the little ones

A new initiative by Krzysztof Pastor, director of the Polish National Ballet, is an attempt to bridge the gap between the work of ballet schools and the quantitative and qualitative expectations of our theaters. Therefore, we have created a ten-person junior group at the Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera ballet company. The members will work separately for a year or two, honing their technical and artistic skills to achieve the qualifications necessary for eventual regular employment with the PBN or another Polish ballet company. Selected juniors, primarily students of Polish ballet schools, will receive special mentoring from experienced PBN artists during this period. We will also provide them with master classes led by invited international ballet masters. They will participate in dedicated artistic programs on our chamber stage, which will then be presented in other theaters across the country, as well as in daily activities across the PBN and in our theater's ballet performances. Over time, they will have the opportunity to join the PBN company or apply for positions with other theaters.

Juvenalia 4

An interactive way to introduce children to the magical atmosphere of the world of opera. Through games and activities, participants can learn about the various musical instruments that make up a symphony orchestra and recognize different types of human voices.

Seekers of operatic sounds

Joint activities for children and adults that develop their musical, dance, and artistic imaginations. These sessions help discover children's dormant talents and build intergenerational bonds. These musical activities, exploring the world of sound and movement, are led by charismatic guides – instrumentalists and ballet masters.

Family fun in Wielki

Since the premiere of the Warsaw version of Halka in 1858, Stanisław Moniuszko's opera has enjoyed cult status. The story of a highlander's unhappy love for a young master remains one of the most important artifacts of Polish (pop) culture. The opera's extraordinary success stems from its skillful blend of spectacular spectacle with important social themes, primarily class exclusion. After all, the tragic ending of the love story is linked to misplaced love – Halka and Janusz are separated by a gulf of social class differences.

Halka

In Barrie Kosky's production of The Magic Flute, everything is straight out of a fairy tale, and every idea demonstrates the director's immense sense of humor, who must have thoroughly enjoyed the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. When the red curtain opens, the audience sees only a white screen, where the frolics begin – the director imaginatively juggles, to the rhythm of Mozart's music, elements of silent film, slapstick comedy, and cartoon. The co-creators of this production – Suzanne Andrade and Paul Barritt of the "1927" ensemble – have combined film animation with live theater. The effect is dazzling. Here, Papageno, this bawdy simpleton, here portrayed as a sad clown in the style of Buster Keaton, gets drunk in the company of pink elephants honking cocktails from narrow glasses. The Queen of the Night is a giant spider, Monostatos appears as a pale vampire in a Count Dracula costume, and Pamina wears a black wig with fringe, which makes her resemble the actress and dancer Louise Brooks, a star of silent films.

The Magic Flute

We invite children and their guardians to a unique, festive family workshop, during which we will be transported to the theatrical world of Christmas stories. In the first part of the workshop, we will learn extraordinary stories related to holiday performances that have graced the stages of Polish theaters over the years. Using the Theatre Museum's collections – old costumes, set designs, and props – we will discover together how the magic of the holidays was portrayed on stage and which characters most frequently appeared in Christmas performances. Children will learn about the Nutcracker and Turoń, what theatre nativity scenes looked like, and how set designers of the past imagined winter. In the second part of the workshop, participants will create their own Christmas card inspired by the Grand Theatre in its winter setting. Unique pieces will be created – souvenirs from the workshop that can be given to loved ones or kept as holiday decorations.

Christmas workshops with the Theatre Museum

III Balcony

In 1895, Louis and Auguste Lumière built the cinematograph and shot the first films in history: Workers Leaving the Factory , The Glade Waterer , and others. Over time, by improving camerawork, perfecting frame composition, introducing doubles, and boldly experimenting with special effects, they laid the foundations for today's filmmaking. 

Screening of the film "The Brothers Lumière!"

The growing interest in the work of Mieczysław Weinberg – a fascinating composer working at the intersection of Polish, Jewish, and Russian cultures – has led to his works appearing not only on CDs and in philharmonic repertoires, but also on the stage. His operas are becoming increasingly well-known (" The Passenger" was performed on our stage), and it's time to discover Weinberg's ballet, " The Golden Key ," intended for children .

Pinocchio

A musical gathering with song and dance, offering an opportunity to experience and enjoy the joys of Christmas, winter, and carnival together. Young artists from the Władysław Skoraczewski Artos Choir, based at the Grand Theatre – National Opera, invite you to this gathering, under the direction of Danuta Chmurska. There will be plenty of fun activities with movement, dancing, and singing, all designed to warm you up musically for the long winter days.