🎭 Theatre Workshops at the University of Warsaw Foreign Language Teaching Centre
📅 April 17 – 19, 2026

From April 17 to 19, 2026, the Foreign Language Teaching Centre at the University of Warsaw hosted theatre workshops led by actors from the Witkacy Theatre in Zakopane.

The sessions were based on dramatic miniatures—winning texts from the “Fail Better” literary competition. It was a rare opportunity to see how these texts come to life on stage—developed, interpreted, and transformed into theatrical performances under the guidance of professional actors.

The workshops were attended by competition laureates, students participating in general university courses taught by dr. Elżbieta Grzyb, as well as graduates of our university who have become enthusiasts of this dramatic form.

We would like to thank all participants for their engagement, creativity, and the inspiring atmosphere!

The event was made possible thanks to the financial support of Canal+ Poland, for which we are sincerely grateful.

Sorry, this entry is only available in Polski.

Dear All,
Following intensive deliberations of the Jury, the Organizing Committee of the 10-Minute Plays Festival is pleased to announce that on 25th March 2026 the 2nd edition of the 10-minute literary contest has been officially resolved.

After a thorough evaluation of the submitted works, taking into account their high artistic quality, diversity of approaches to the theme, and originality of dramaturgical solutions, the Jury has selected six awarded plays, which will be presented as part of the programme of the 2nd edition of the festival, scheduled for May 16th 2026.

The full jury report is available here.

The Organizing Committee of the Festival will contact the awarded authors directly via email in order to provide further organizational details.

The competition and the festival are organized by the Centre for Foreign Language Teaching at the University of Warsaw (CNJO UW).

Dr Elżbieta Grzyb
and the Organizing Committee of the 10-Minute Plays Festival

Sorry, this entry is only available in Polski.

Sorry, this entry is only available in Polski.

Dear All,
We are pleased to invite you to participate in the second edition of the 10-minute play literary
contest. This year’s theme is “Fail Better”. It invites us to focus on failure – its position (or
absence) within contemporary culture and language. Our point of departure is the well-known
line by Samuel Beckett: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail
better.”
This year’s reflection was prompted by the “Fail Worse” seminar held as part of the Trinity
Arts and Humanities Research Festival at Trinity College Dublin. The discussions held there
revealed the extent to which questions concerning the meaning of our choices and values
remained unspoken or insufficiently articulated.
In a culture shaped by the imperative of efficiency, is there still room for failure? Who has
the
authority today to define success, and according to which criteria? Can failure be understood
outside the framework of a “transitional stage” on the path toward ultimate success? And how
might we speak about failure without relying on binary conceptual categories?
We hope that this theme will encourage participants to reflect critically on their own needs
and limitations. We believe that engaging with the notion of failure can be liberating, opening
a space for alternative modes of thought, action, and being.
We warmly encourage submissions that engage with these questions, either in Polish or in
English.
Entries may be submitted until 28 February 2026 to the following email address:
10mpfestival@gmail.com The detailed competition regulations are available for download here. Visit our Instagram and Facebook platform for more: IG: @10mpfestival and FB: Festiwal 10-minute plays.

Consents and declarations

Dr Elżbieta Grzyb
and 10-minute plays Festival Organizing Committee

In the latest episode of Kuchnia Metodyczna, we talk about language as a mediator in foreign language teaching. When does it help, and when does it hinder? How to find the golden mean between “a little” and “too much”? Listen in – it will be methodical, practical, and (as always) with a touch of flavor!

We invite you to listen:

“Między szczyptą a przesadą. O języku pośredniku”:

Best Regards,

Justyna i Magda

🎭 Ten minutes isn’t nearly enough to thank everyone involved in the first edition of the 10-minute plays Festival—but we’ll try! Today, we extend our deep gratitude to our friends and say thank you:

♦️ Dr. Elżbieta Grzyb from CNJO – the originator, initiator, and coordinator of our Organizing Committee, who over the past few years has shown exceptional dedication to popularizing the concept of 10-minute plays and bringing together a passionate community, making this festival a reality,

♦️ CNJO Director Dr. Andrzej Dąbrowski and Deputy Director for Teaching Affairs Dr. Anna Cegiełka, as well as Head of the English Language Team Anna Łętowska-Mickiewicz, and all those who supported the idea,

♦️ Professor Marek Rudnicki from George Mason University, Virginia, for enthusiastically accepting the invitation to participate in the project and serving as a supportive judge in the 10-minute play competition,

♦️ Canal+ Polska, our strategic sponsor—and especially the people behind this quality brand who believed in our idea. Special thanks to CEO and General Director Edyta Sadowska, who, to our great joy, joined us in person on Friday,

♦️ The Witkacy Theater in Zakopane, named after Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, and especially its actors Joanna Banasik and Krzysztof Wnuk, who have supported the project for years and helped prepare our stage teams with their spirit and expertise,

♦️ The team at Konopacki Palace, part of the Praga Cultural Center, who welcomed us with openness and dedication—something every new festival dreams of,

♦️ Teatr Potem-o-tem for sponsoring prizes for the authors and showing beautiful solidarity with independent art,

♦️ The team at Radio Kampus – our media partner, who was eager to listen and help share the story of the 10-minute plays with the world.

Now, we warmly invite you to view photos taken by Grażyna Jakubowska—because any more words would be like an unnecessary blot on silence and nothingness (S. Beckett)!

We also encourage you to stay up to date with the Festival’s activities by following us on social media: Facebook (Festiwal 10-minute plays) and Instagram (@10mpfestival).

You can read more about the Festival’s DNA and history in our festival zine, available in open access here: https://tinyurl.com/10mpfzin

The Student Organizing Committee of the 10-minute plays Festival

Is Assessment Help or Pressure?
In the latest, fifth episode of the Kuchnia Metodyczna podcast, we talk about grading—it’s the end of the semester, so the topic is especially timely.

We explore how to assess wisely and supportively, how to avoid common mistakes, and why grading is a bit like… Italian cooking.

Tune in:
“Grading al dente – How Not to Overcook a Student’s Potential?”
https://youtu.be/7zL6GsYneaE

Warm regards,
Justyna and Magda