Halina Winiarska, the actress of the Wybrzeże Theater, has passed away

In the morning, we received the sad news about the death of our beloved teacher, the wonderful actress Halina Winiarska, informed the Ministry of Creative Communities of the Archdiocese of Gdańsk.

• A theater and film actress, social activist, one of the most outstanding actresses of her generation – we read in the entry.

Halina Winiarska-Kiszkis graduated from Polish philology at the Jagiellonian University. She began her acting career at the amateur theater Nurt in Nowa Huta (1952). In the years 1956-1958 she performed at the Dramatyczny Theater. Aleksandra Węgierki in Białystok, where, while playing the role of Kama in Pharaoh according to Prus, she passed an extramural acting exam and obtained the qualifications of a professional actor (1957).

She performed at the Teatr im. Wanda Siemaszkowa in Rzeszów (1958-1960), the Lubuska Land Theater in Zielona Góra (1960-1963) and the Dramatic Theater in Poznań (1963-1966); in 1966 she joined the Wybrzeże Theater in Gdańsk, where she initially played Ewa in Tadeusz Różewicz’s drama “Out of the house”.

She has had over 100 theatrical roles, over a dozen film roles; became famous as the master of the classical repertoire, playing, among others the title “Elektra” in the tragedy of Sophocles, the queen in “King Richard II” by Shakespeare, Iphigenia in “Iphigenia in Tauriga” by Goethe, Gertrude in “Hamlet” by Shakespeare, title roles in “Maria Stuart” by Schiller and in “Helena” by Euripides , Raniewska in the “Cherry Orchard”.

Her most outstanding performances in contemporary repertoire include: Molly Bloom in “Ulysses” by Joyce, the title role in Witkacy’s “Mother”, roles in Albee’s plays directed by Hebanowski: Marta in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and Alice in “Little Alice”. She has appeared in dozens of TV Theater productions, incl. as Pani Alving in “Upiorach” by Ibsen (1979), Countess in “Wallenstein” by Schiller (1989) and Klytajmester in “Elektra” by Euripides (1994).

She has also created a dozen or so film characters, incl. in the film “Danger” by Wacław Florkowski (1976), based on authentic events, in which she played the former prisoner Maria, the main prosecutor in the trial against the guardian of the Majdanek camp.

She lectured at the Acting School at the Wybrzeże Theater, at the Gdańsk Bishop’s Seminary and Jesuit High School in Gdynia (1977-1985), she was a member of SPATiF-ZASP (1961-1981) and the Main Board (1979-1981).

The performances at the Gdańsk Shipyard Lenin in August 1980 supported the striking workers; three months later, she participated in an occupation strike of health, education and culture workers at the Voivodeship Office in Gdańsk. From September 1980, she was the chairman of the “Solidarity” Company Committee at the Wybrzeże Theater. After the imposition of martial law, she was interned (December 13, 1981 – January 19, 1982). She was artistically involved during the mass for the Homeland in Gdańsk churches (1982-1988) and in August 1988 during the strikes at the Shipyard in the Port of Gdańsk. In 1989 she joined the “Solidarity” Civic Committee in Gdańsk.

• But it was not politics, for us it was a social activity – years later Halina Winiarska-Kiszkis confessed in an interview with Katarzyna Korczak. – It didn’t change anything, it didn’t distort anything, only its place on earth, which was marked, we fought for, we wanted to live and work with dignity, and not slip between sticks and water jets – she said.

Honored, among others With the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2007), the Pomeranian Art Award (2010). Laureate of the Award of the President of the City of Gdańsk “Neptun” (2012).

In 2020, Halina Winiarska-Kiszkis and her husband Jerzy Kiszkis received the titles of Honorary Citizen of the City of Gdańsk. On this occasion, a ceremonial session of the Gdańsk City Council was organized in the Artus Court.