Wojciech Bogusławski

Wojciech Bogusławski
Before 1829. Artist unknown.
Born	9 April 1757 Glinno, Poznań County
Died	23 July 1829 (1829-07-24) (aged 72) Warsaw, Poland
Nationality	Polish
Occupation	Actor, director, dramatist
Known for	Father of Polish theatre

Wojciech Bogusławski (9 April 1757 – 23 July 1829) was a Polish actor, theater director and playwright of the Polish Enlightenment. He was the director of the National Theatre, Warsaw, (Teatr Narodowy), during three distinct periods, as well as establishing a Polish opera. He is considered the "Father of Polish theatre."

Bogusławski was born into the minor nobility in Glinno, Poznań County, the son of land regent Leopold Bogusławski and Anna Teresa Linowski (see Pomian coat of arms. It is likely that he initially studied in Kraków before going on to attend a Piarist boarding school in Warsaw. In 1774 he traveled to the court of Bishop Kajetan Sołtyk, where he took part in the amateur theatre performances organized there. In 1775 he enlisted with the Lithuanian Footmen's Guard, and left the military three years later with the rank of officer cadet.

Bogusławski embarked on his theatre career in 1778 by joining the troupe of Ludwik Montbrum, where he made his stage debut, and where his two-act, opera adaptation of Franciszek Bohomolec's cantata Nędza uszczęśliwiona (Misery Made Happy) was very well received.

In 1781 he began performing in Lviv with Agnieszka and Tomasz Truskolaski's troupe, but quickly returned to Warsaw. He was hired by the Polish National Theatre in 1782 and became its director a year later (1782–84), proving to be an enterprising impresario by organizing tours to cities like Grodno and Dubno. During this period he also established his own theatre in Poznań with the support of Stanisław August Poniatowski, but the venture quickly collapsed. He became a Freemason.