[POLISH LEGIONS - SOLDIERS' THEATER - MODLIN] The tenth program of the T.K.P. [Auxiliary Corps Theater] of the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Polish Army in Modlin, dated July 22, 1917. Modlin, July 22, 1917.

Program for the 1st Auxiliary Corps Theater of the Polish Army in Modlin, dated July 22, 1917. Seal of the command of the 5th Company of the 1st Infantry Regiment

A leaflet published as a lithograph, 4 pages. Dimensions: 17.3 x 21 cm. Traces of folding and creasing. Stamps reading “Command of the 5th Company of the 1st Infantry Regiment.” Program designed by Wojciech Jastrzębowski.

A fold-out program for a soldiers’ performance, featuring striking, hand-drawn typography. Director: Zygmunt Grabowski; stage director: Michał Lewicki.

The program includes a series of satirical, musical, and theatrical numbers, including works by Bronisław Peszkowski, Zbigniew Orwicz, and Michał Lewicki; the Legion duet “My dwaj” (The Two of Us), Lewicki’s “Kronika,” and the final operetta “Legun w niebie.” The cast includes, among others, Bronisław Peszkowski, Michał Lewicki, J. Hajduga, Adam Drabik, Zygmunt Grabowski, and Zbigniew Orwicz.

After the soldiers were assembled at the Modlin Fortress, the troupe’s activities expanded; a stage was set up in a specially designated barrack, the sets were designed by Wojciech Jastrzębowski and Zygmunt Grabowski, among others, and most of the scripts were written and directed by Michał Lewicki. The theater in Modlin began regular performances on July 17, 1917—the program presented here therefore dates from as early as July 22, during the very first days of its operation at the fortress.

A rare document of the cultural life of soldiers of the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Legions during the 1917 oath crisis, related to the activities of the Corps of Aides-de-Camp Theater at the Modlin Fortress.