Born in 1983 polish writer, playwright, adaptor, theater and radio director. His works as a playwright have been staged numerously on the country’s most important stages and received some of the most prestigious awards in Polish theatre, such as among others Gdyńska Nagroda Dramaturgiczna (Gdynia Literary Award). Performances based on his plays have won the Ogólnopolski Konkurs na Wystawienie Polskiej Sztuki Współczesnej (National Competition for staging of Polish Contemporary play) three times.
For the past ten years he has been leading workshops and playwriting courses. He graduated in drama from the Drama Directing Department of the State Higher School of Drama (PWST) in Cracow. He studied Polish studies (specialization: knowledge of culture) at the Jagiellonian University and philosophy at the University of Lodz. He made his debut as a prose writer with the book Jak nie zabiłem swojego ojca i jak bardzo to żałuję, which was recognized as one of the most interesting books of 2021, received the Krakow City of Literature UNESCO Award, the Pen of the Year Literary Debut 2021 and the ArtRage Award, nominated for Empik Discoveries, the Gdynia Literary Award and the Witold Gombrowicz Literary Award (awarded with a residency in Vence), and was in the final five of the European Prix Grand Continent award.
- Available translations:
- Biały dmuchawiec (White dandelion): Czech, Spanish
- Konradmaszyna: German
- Miki Mister DJ: Czech
- Mój niepokój ma przy sobie broń (My anxiety packs a weapon): English
- Na końcu łańcucha (At the end of the chain): English, Ukrainian
- Pluton P-brane: English
- Smutki tropików (Tristestropiques): English, German
- Stanisław Lem vs Phillip K. Dick: English
- Twardy gnat, martwy świat (Hard gun, dead world): English
- The play based on How I Didn't Kill My Father and How Much I Regret It, adapted and directed by Pakuła received 24 awards – both for the team and individual:
Grand Prix of the 16th International Theater Festival Divine Comedy
as well the acting individual award for Szymon Mysłakowski - for the best supporting male role
Grand Prix of the 29th National Competition for the Staging of Polish Contemporary Play
for all the creators and performers of the play as well as individual awards:
- Award to Mateusz Pakuła for the play;
- Acting award for Wojciech Niemczyk;
- Jan Świderski acting award for Szymon Mysłakowski;
- Award for Paulina Góral for light direction;
Grand Prix of the XXII National Festival of Contemporary Drama "Rzeczywistość Przedstawiona" in Zabrze and
- Audience Award - the best play in the poll;
- Youth Jury Award;
Grand Prix of the 32nd International Theater Festival "Without Borders" in Cieszyn;
Special Award of the 63rd Kalisz Theater Meetings for the acting troupe consisting of Andrzej Plata, Wojciech Niemczyk, Jan Jurkowski, Szymon Mysłakowski and Marcin Pakuła
and
- Audience Award - the best performance of the Festival;
- Journalists' Award for Andrzej Plata;
The title of best performance of the XXX. International Festival of Pleasant and Unpleasant Plays in Lodz
- Winner of the audience poll;
The best performance of the 57th International Theater Festival KONTRAPUNKT
- Audience Award - the best performance of the festival in the viewers' poll;
28th Contact International Theater Festival in Torun
- ZASP Zdzisław Maklakiewicz Award for Wojciech Niemczyk;
Stanisław Wyspiański Theater Award 2023
- The Main Award - the best Krakow play of 2023 - for all the creators and performers of the play;
The award for the best performance of the 31st Audience Poll for "Wild Rose"
and
- Journalists' Award for the best actor - Andrzej Plata
- Jan Karski Association's "Art and Compassion" Award for Mateusz Pakuła;
Nomination for the Mocarty RMF Classic 2023 award in the Event of the Year category (along with, among others, the Netflix hit series "1670")
Radio Kraków Brand - January/February 2023
Nomination for Polityka Passports 2023 in the category of Theater
- Mateusz Pakuła
Laureate of Onet Olśnienia 2024 in the Theater category
- Mateusz Pakuła
Other awards
Laureate of the Gdynia Drama Award (7th Competition for the Gdynia Drama Award - for Tristestropiques) and five-time finalist of this Competition.
Multiple finalist of the National Competition for the Staging of Polish Contemporary Play and three-time winner:
- 29th edition of this Competition (Grand Prix, award for the play)
- The 27th edition of this Competition (individual prize for the play Stanislaw Lem vs. Philip K. Dick, and a team prize for the production - direction, stage design, lighting, music - of a performance based on this play);
- and the 19th edition of this Competition (individual award for the text My anxiety is carrying a gun).
Winner of the Special Prize of the monthly Theater magazine (team prize) - for the performance Whale - the Globe - "of unique artistic and humanistic value".
Winner of the Don Quixote Award for his directorial debut at the Polish Radio Theater.
Finalist of the "Talents of the Three" 2013.
Nominated for the TVP Kultura "Gwarancje Kultury" award for the most promising debut of 2010 (for the collection Biały Dmuchawiec. Five plays).
Scholarship holder of the Minister of Culture (Scholarship "Young Poland" 2014) and the City of Krakow (Artistic Scholarship 2010 and 2023 in the literature category).
Publications
In addition to Jak nie zabiłem... he has published six books of plays: the collection Chaos pierwszego poziomu (2020), Wieloryb - The Globe (2016), the collection Panoptikos (2015), the diptych Na końcu łańcucha (2012) ), Kowboj Parówka i trzy inne sztuki (2012) and Biały dmuchawiec. Pięć sztuk (2010). In addition, his plays are regularly published in the monthly magazine “Dialog”.