Few architectural gems of the Renaissance have survived the wars, uprisings and conscious destruction by the many invaders from East and West that ravaged Poland. It is no wonder that the historical evidence for the existence of the first theatre in Poland presented by Jerzy Limon in his Gentlemen of a Company published in 1985 was met with interest and support and led to the creation of Theatrum Gedanense Foundation and the meticulous archaeological excavation from1997 to 2004. Limon  recognises the complexity of the problem presented by the issues concerning theatre reconstructions and according to him ‘architecture, both old and new, private, municipal and industrial, provides the key code to the city’s identity. Buildings become signs of narratives, signs of the past, the present and the future’. It is crucial that Limon sees the Gdansk Theatre Shakespeare project as a contribution to the city’s identity. A glance at the project’s aims gives us a proper insight into how carefully Theatrum Gedanense Foundation crafts its project identity. They intend ‘to build the Gdansk Shakespeare Theatre on the historic site of the original building, which was built in the early 17th century. That playhouse was a remarkable example of the city’s culture in the period when it flourished, and a culture that the reconstructed theatre will both commemorate and revive’. Thus the project looks into the past which is manifested by nostalgia for the lost identity of the Golden Age of the city and expresses the desire to recapture the culture that was lost. Nevertheless, the Gdansk Shakespeare Theatre will not become an early modern replica but state-of-the-art modern centre for Shakespeare in performance and education. I will explore the reasons behind this transformation.

—Alexsandra Sakowska, King’s College London