The Polish Theater in Wrocław posted information about the artist's death on Monday on its website. “It is with deep sadness and regret that we received the news of the sudden death of Jan Szurmiej – director, stage director, choreographer and actor, artistic director of the Polish Theater in Wrocław since 2020,” it was written.
“He had previously created performances on Wrocław stages many times. He had over a hundred directing works, as well as many film and theater roles. He was the creator of award-winning performances, breaking records of popularity among wide audiences in Poland and abroad. He was also an expert on Jewish culture, he dedicated many of his performances to her. He is artistically associated with, among others, theaters in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Gdynia and Szczecin. Winner of numerous awards in Poland and abroad,” it added.
Jan Szurmiej was born in 1946 in Jawor, Lower Silesia. In the 1950s he attended the Ballet School at the Wrocław Opera. In the years 1965-1971 he was an actor of the Gest Pantomime Theater in Wrocław. In 1976, he passed the external examination for drama actors in Warsaw. From the 1970s to the beginning of the 1990s, he was associated with the Jewish Theater in Warsaw.
In the years 1990-1993, Jan Szurmiej was the artistic director of the Musical Theater of the Wrocław Operetta, which changed its artistic profile and became the “CAPITOL” Musical Theater, returning to the pre-war name of this facility.
Jan Szurmiej was the main director of the Wrocław Opera and a senior lecturer at the Academy of Music in Wrocław. In the years 1992-1994 he was the general and artistic director of the Warsaw Operetta, whose artistic formula he changed into the “ROMA” Musical Theater, returning to the pre-war name of this facility. In 1996-1997, director of the Jewish Theater in Warsaw. Jan Szurmiej was the creator and long-time artistic director of the Festival. Anna German in Zielona Góra.
From 2020, Szurmiej was the artistic director of the Polish Theater in Wrocław.
When it comes to cinema, viewers may remember him from productions such as “Austeria”, “War and Love” or “Szuler”. He also appeared in “The Travels of Mr. Kleks” and “The Lady with a Wet Head”.
In 2005, Szurmiej received the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. He was also honored with a silver and later a gold medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis.