Outstanding mime artist, one of the most acclaimed representatives of this form of art in the world today. Actor, choreographer, teacher, director and author of scripts for mime theatre. In the years 1964–1975, he was an actor at Henryk Tomaszewski’s Wrocław Pantomime Theatre. In 1975 he co-founded, co-created and acted in The Stage of Mimes at The Warsaw Chamber Opera. From 1979 to 1993 he worked as a mime artist in the USA. In 1979, in the heart of New York City, Manhattan, he established a school of mime art—American School of Polish Mime, and founded a mime company—Mimedance Theatre, authoring all of its performances, which he directed and took part in. Director of both school and mime company was Alice Eichen–Winslow, and the artistic director of both was Stefan Niedziałkowski. Niedziałkowski taught at numerous American universities. He was frequently invited by Marcel Marceau to teach at his famous Ecole Internationale de Mimodrame de Paris Marcel Marceau. In 1993 Niedziałkowski published a book in the USA, entitled “Beyond the Word—The World of Mime” with a foreword by Marcel Marceau. The book was later translated into Polish and published in Poland. In the years 1994–2002, Niedziałkowski was the artistic director of the Warsaw Pantomime Theatre at the State Jewish Theatre in Warsaw. In 1994 he also created The Mimes Studio set up at the Warsaw theatre “Teatr na Woli” where he taught future mime artists. In the years 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004 Niedziałkowski was the author and artistic director of The International Mime Art Festival at the “Teatr na Woli” theatre. Since 2005, Stefan Niedziałkowski’s Mimes Studio has been situated at the Mazovia Region Centre of Culture and Arts in Warsaw. In 2006, a celebration commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Wrocław Pantomime Theatre by Henryk Tomaszewski took place. As a part of the anniversary celebrations, Niedziałkowski conceived, directed and choreographed a mimedrama for the Wrocław Pantomime Theatre company, entitled “Dusioł”, a piece based on motifs from “Taniec z Dusiołem” by Grzegorz Walczak. Niedziałkowski also played the title role as a guest artist. The two performances took place in December 2006 on the Scena Kameralna of the Polish National Opera in Warsaw. For the stage direction and choreography of his performance, Stefan Niedziałkowski was nominated for the C.K. Norwid award, given by the Self-government of the Mazovia Voivodeship. In 2007 he was an author and artistic director of “Art of Acting in Movement Theatre International Presentations Stefan Niedziałkowski” (“Międzynarodowe Prezentacje Sztuki Aktorskiej w Teatrze Ruchu Stefan Niedziałkowski”), during which there was a premiere of the performance entitled “Profundity” (“Głębia”) in which The Mimes Studio acted (screenplay, choreography and direction by Stefan Niedziałkowski). In 2009, with the Mazovia Region Centre of Culture and Arts in Warsaw (currently The Mazovia Institute of Culture), Stefan Niedziałkowski set up a new author’s project named “Silence of the Body / Milczące Ciało. International Mime Art Theatre Worskshops”. Essential part of the workshops are the annual premieres of new performances by the Mimes Studio’s ensemble “Mime Art Theatre”. Since then, 12 International Mime Art Theater Presentations have been held, with new performances premiering each year.
Photo by David A. Fullard