Martyna Kander

Martyna Kander is a Doctor and Lecturer at the Department of Stage Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Since the 2018/19 academic year, she has taught Theatre Scenography Design courses. Professionally, she serves as a set designer in the artistic team of the National Theatre since the 2023/24 season.

She graduated from the Faculty of New Media Art and Scenography at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (2012), with additional studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice through the Socrates Erasmus program. She defended her doctoral thesis in July 2017.

Dr. Kander's expertise spans stage design and costume creation across diverse theatrical genres. Her work demonstrates exceptional versatility across drama, opera, ballet, and puppet theatre. She has developed distinctive visual languages for classical works by Shakespeare, Calderon, and Moniuszko, as well as contemporary productions including the 2025 Polish premiere of Pablo Remón's 'Eclipse in Two Acts' at the National Theatre.

Her professional collaborations include work with major Polish theatres: National Theatre in Warsaw, S. Jaracz Theatre in Łódź, Dramatic Theatre in Warsaw, L. Solski Theatre in Tarnów, J. Słowacki Theatre in Kraków, Municipal Theatre in Gdynia, Universal Theatre in Warsaw, The Doll in Warsaw, Harlequin in Łódź, Gulliver in Warsaw, Grand Theatre in Łódź, Grand Theatre in Poznań, State Musical Theatre in Klaipeid, Silesian Opera, Opera Nova, Opera at the Castle, Chamber Opera, Polish Royal Opera, and Musical Theatre in Gdynia.

• Jan Kiepura Award for Best Scenography (2017, 2019, 2020)
• A. Pronaszko Award (2016)
• J. Moskal Award (2016)
• Teresa Roszkowska Award (2017)
• Leon Schiller Award (2018)
• Scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (three times)

Dr. Kander began her academic career in 2014 as an assistant to Professor Dorota Kołodyńska in the Costume Design Studio. Her teaching encompasses the full spectrum of theatrical design, from initial concept development to final production realization. Her professional work includes collaborations with directors such as Grzegorz Małecki, Natalia Babińska, Robert Bondara, and Maciej Prus across numerous high-profile productions.

Her design portfolio demonstrates mastery across diverse theatrical forms, with particular excellence in creating immersive visual environments that enhance narrative storytelling. Recent notable works include 'Eclipse in Two Acts' (National Theatre, June 2025), 'Alice in Wonderland' (Zych's production, 2022), 'Faust' (2020), and 'The Turn of the Screw' (Britten, multiple productions).