The aim of the Foun­da­tion is to pro­tect the cul­tu­ral heri­ta­ge of Łódź in the field of arti­stic cre­ation rela­ted to the­atre and to con­duct inter­di­sci­pli­na­ry rese­arch focu­sed on bro­adly under­sto­od cul­tu­re, edu­ca­tion and the­atre practice.

Acti­vi­ties are car­ried out in three are­as defi­ned as: docu­men­ta­tion, edu­ca­tion and creation.

“Docu­men­ta­tion” is a col­lec­tion and archi­ving of all kinds of docu­ments and testi­mo­nies of mate­rial cul­tu­re con­nec­ted with the histo­ry of dra­ma­tic the­atres in Łódź.

“Edu­ca­tion” inc­lu­des acti­vi­ties rela­ted to the dis­se­mi­na­tion of know­led­ge abo­ut the histo­ry of Łódź the­atres as well as the pro­mo­tion of the achie­ve­ments of arti­sts and the­atri­cal insti­tu­tions rela­ted to this envi­ron­ment. It is equ­al­ly impor­tant to dis­se­mi­na­te know­led­ge abo­ut cul­tu­ral phe­no­me­na belon­ging to the uni­ver­sal heri­ta­ge of humanity.

“Cre­ation” is brin­ging to life new and ori­gi­nal arti­stic, edu­ca­tio­nal and intel­lec­tu­al pro­po­sals ope­ning new hori­zons in the cul­tu­re of the 21st century.

The Foun­da­tio­n’s acti­vi­ties inc­lu­de: the­atre per­for­man­ces, art exhi­bi­tions, per­for­ma­ti­ve readings, scien­ti­fic con­fe­ren­ces, discus­sion panels, docu­men­ta­ry films and vario­us types of publi­shing pro­jects such as audio­bo­oks or book publications.

Mie­czy­sław Hertz (born on 2nd Janu­ary 1870 in War­saw, died on 18th Janu­ary 1943 in the War­saw Ghet­to), a Polish mer­chant of Jewish ori­gin, histo­rian, wri­ter and eco­no­mic acti­vist was one of the most impor­tant social and local govern­ment acti­vi­sts in Łódź in the years 1892–1939.

The appo­int­ment of Mie­czy­sław Hertz as the patron of the Foun­da­tion is a form of com­me­mo­ra­tion of his con­tri­bu­tion to the deve­lop­ment of the civil socie­ty in Łódź.

The Mie­czy­sław Hertz The­atre Insti­tu­te Foun­da­tion is a non-govern­men­tal orga­ni­za­tion. It ope­ra­tes on the ter­ri­to­ry of the Repu­blic of Poland and abroad.

The Foun­da­tion was esta­bli­shed by Jacek Orłow­ski, the­atre direc­tor and pro­fes­sor of the Natio­nal Aca­de­my of The­atre Arts in Kra­ków and the Film Scho­ol in Łódź.

The inau­gu­ra­tion of the Foun­da­tion took pla­ce on 20th Octo­ber 2016 under the patro­na­ge of the May­or of the City of Łódź and the Mar­shal of the Łódź Pro­vin­ce. Jacek Orłow­ski pre­pa­red a per­for­ma­ti­ve reading of Mie­czy­sław Hert­z’s dra­ma enti­tled “Anan­ke”, which pre­mie­red at the Vic­to­ria The­atre (vis-a-vis the Grand Hotel) on 20th Octo­ber, 1903, in the for­mer The­atre Room of the Grand Hotel in Łódź.