Krasnal Teatralny (Theatre Dwarf)
Theatre fan and self-taught stage actor. He prefers to call himself a "dramatic artist".
An artist and eccentric, he has been in love with the art of theatre from an early age. This feeling, as mean people say, not entirely reciprocated, was born in the times when travelling theatrical troupes used to visit the city. Hidden under the stands, he sat on the ground with his knees under his chin and followed the events on stage fascinated. At first, like many other dwarfs, he appeared at occasional performances mainly to collect bread crumbs and snacks scattered by the audience. Captivated by the magic of the show, however, he quickly forgot about eating, and followed the performance. It was then that his greatest dream of an international stage career was born. His idea was regarded as a quirk. His peers shook their heads and older dwarfs snorted ironically when he talked about his artistic plans. It is fair to say that, despite a general love of the arts, dwarfs have never been fond of the theatre. It is nice to sing, paint or write poems, but why pretend to do something in front of an audience? – his friends kept asking.
Because of the general lack of understanding among the dwarfs, Teatralny decided to learn the art of acting in human theatres. He would hide backstage, or hide behind the prompter, and watch rehearsals for hours before the performances. He learned various scripts by heart, rehearsed, gestured and trained his voice. He spent his evenings in front of the mirror, acting out roles from his most famous dramas. But his efforts were to no avail, because although he did his best to appear on stage, he lacked... an audience. Dwarfs showed an absolute lack of understanding for his passion, so Teatralny, discouraged, decided to focus on enjoying good acting skills from the position of a spectator.
Teatralny is also known as Współczesny and Powitalnik (Contemporary and Welcoming), as he is most often found in front of the Współczesny Theatre building in Rzeźnicza Street. He appeared there at the invitation of the theatre's management, who decided to take the little stage fan under their roof to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the theatre's existence. In this way Wrocław's Współczesny Theatre became perhaps the only theatre in the world where a dwarf has taken up permanent residence. Teatralny usually stands in front of the main entrance, welcoming arriving guests with his arms wide open. He sighs nonchalantly, bows and looks up to the sky, venting out his unfulfilled dreams of playing a leading role. And one thing is for sure, for a brief moment before the start of the performance, when the eager audience crosses the threshold of the theatre, the little actor really becomes the leading figure...
