Theater and Drama of the Socialist Realism in the Context of Cryptotexts (on Material of Ministry of Culture and Art [MKiS] and Provincial Office of Control of Press, Publications and Shows in Poznań [WUKPPiW])

The main aim of the paper is the description of cryptotexts of theater staging handbook and dramatic works created in Poland in the socialist realism period. Cryptotext is a secret text which unavailability is the result of a purposeful act. In the text I present selected cryptotexts – reviews produced in Ministry of Culture and Art (MKiS) and censorship reviews of the dramatic works submitted for evaluation to the Provincial Office of Control of Press, Publications and Shows in Poznań (WUKPPiW).

The archives contain evaluation of works which have been published in the subsequent years as well as these which remained only in their draft form. The analysis of the evaluations of the ministry officials reveal the mechanisms of allowing and withholding submitted dramatic works and theater staging handbook which shows the practices of publishing theatrical works.

Analysis of different evalutations to the main text allow for a hypothesis that the main aim of cryptotexts were the evaluation of ideological correctness of submitted works. In spite of this main function it is possible to point out specific passages in the statements of the GUKPPiW officials which are similar to statements of the ministry officials. In these two cases the evaluation pertains to the content and the planned realization of the work and plays mainly a didactic function.