Announcements (Archive)

The latest episode of the Kuchnia Metodyczna podcast

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

1st Edition of the 10-Minute Plays Festival – Acknowledgements and Photos

🎭 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

Theatre Workshops. 10-Minute Plays Festival Project

Intensive preparations are underway at the University of Warsaw’s Centre for Foreign Language Teaching (CNJO) for the first 10-Minute Plays Festival in Poland. On the last weekend of April, theatre workshops were held at the Konopacki Palace (Praga Cultural Centre) and the CNJO building for project participants, including the authors of the plays submitted to the competition for writing a 10-minute play titled “We, People, Do This.” The workshop session was officially opened by CNJO Director Dr. Andrzej Dąbrowski.

The workshops were led by Krzysztof Wnuk and Joanna Banasik, actors from the Witkacy Theatre, who have collaborated with CNJO for many years on the course “10-Minute Plays: Second Act – Escape the Everyday.” During three days of intensive creative work, we prepared stage adaptations of six original 10-minute plays awarded in the writing competition. The plays will be performed in both Polish and English.

We warmly invite you to our Festival on May 16 at the Konopacki Palace (Praga Cultural Centre) from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. In the meantime, we invite you to view the photo gallery from the workshops (photos by Grażyna Jakubowska).

Event Organizer: University of Warsaw, Centre for Foreign Language Teaching
Event Sponsor: Canal+ Poland
Partners: Witkacy Theatre in Zakopane, Radio Kampus

10 – MINUTE PLAY

 

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

Episode 5 of the Kuchnia Metodyczna podcast

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

May 8 – Day of Mourning at the University of Warsaw

In accordance with the decision of Professor Alojzy Z. Nowak, Rector of the University of Warsaw, May 8 has been declared a Day of Mourning, during which no classes will be held and no work will be performed at the University. The university community is deeply shaken by the brutal murder that occurred on the Main Campus of the University of Warsaw. Let this Day of Mourning be a time for reflection on the acts of violence and aggression emerging within the academic environment.

https://www.uw.edu.pl/%e2%80%8bdzien-zaloby-na-uw/

10-Minute Plays Festival

Dear fans of 10-minute plays,

Today, we’re excited to invite you to the very first 10-Minute Plays Festival in Poland! During the event, we will showcase the plays awarded in the literary competition My, ludzie, tak robimy.

The plays will be staged during theater workshops led by Joanna Banasik and Krzysztof Wnuk, actors from the St. I. Witkiewicz Theatre in Zakopane, a partner of the Festival. The workshops and the event are sponsored by Canal+, with additional support from Radio Kampus.

We’ll see you on May 16 at the Konopacki Palace in Praga. Event details coming soon—stay tuned, we’ll keep you updated as preparations unfold!