Cabaret Scene in Poland and Canada – Wojtek Gawenda

From every cabaret artist, audiences expect wonderful entertainment, extraordinary jokes that will make them laugh to tears. This is usually what Polish cabaret artists have accustomed us to, but what does it look like in Canada? Wojtek Gawenda, an actor, host, author of texts and scripts, and cabaret creator, will tell us about it.

Cabaret Scene in Poland and Canada – Comparison

Anyone who has ever attended a cabaret show knows that they can count on excellent entertainment. Across the ocean, there is no difference in this regard; however, the first noticeable discrepancy is that in Canada, cabaret artists have to work much harder and surprise their audiences with a much greater quantity of their creative output to please the audience, as the number of Polish-speaking residents in this country is significantly smaller.

The strength of these people is much less, as there are only about 1,000,000 people of Polish descent in all of Canada, Polish-speaking, of which around 500,000 live in Toronto and its surroundings, so this is definitely a much smaller number, and the cabaret scene looks a bit different compared to the one we visit in Poland – says Wojtek Gawenda.

Although the audience in Canada is smaller, one can notice certain similarities to the Polish cabaret scene, as the cabaret 'Pod Bańką' has been organizing cabaret shows for over 20 years, which are popular among the Polish community. Moreover, for each edition, a guest from Poland is invited, who helps maintain the typically Polish character of the performances.

In Toronto itself, 5 cabarets have been established, thanks to which we could start organizing cabaret shows. It has become a cult event, almost a tradition for our cabaret scene. We can always count on a full house during this event, which makes us all very happy and adds motivation to continue our efforts – recalls Wojtek.

Cabaret Culture in Poland and Canada

In Canada, the Polish community highly values the 'traditional' form of cabaret, while the rest of the audience tends to lean towards the globally popular form of stand-up comedy. French-speaking and English-speaking audiences prefer performances, especially in this modern form, unlike the audience with a strong Polish taste, which is why there is no real cabaret culture across the ocean.

We wanted to do something different, something we love, which is the traditional form of cabaret. In Canada, we compete with the modern form, which is stand-up. Polish-speaking audiences appreciate our activities, while others tend to lean towards a modern approach – emphasizes Wojtek Gawenda.

Canada is a country where various people speak English, French, or Polish. Everyone has a different sense of humor and looks for something else. In this country, there is a different mentality of humor, which means that cabaret creators have to work even harder, combining the styles they have learned that are liked by diverse communities, to attract audiences to their performances.

Cabaret is something I love

The traditional form of cabaret, which includes sketches, songs, and interaction with the audience, are the factors that Poles like the most. Wojtek, during his performances, tries to reach audiences with a modern cabaret taste, but despite this, he always leans towards tradition, performing for the Polish community. For him, cabaret has always been something exceptional; he does it with great passion and puts in a lot of effort to connect two clashing worlds of people with completely different approaches and perceptions of humor. Thanks to his efforts and hard work, his performances are the best form of conveying a passionate love that he could have ever dreamed of since he started growing up.

I have always been interested in cabaret and love doing it for the Polish community. The decision to do so was not easy, as there is a different mentality of humor here; everyone laughs at something different. Therefore, we want to perform for our wonderful Polish community and delight them with our performances – emphasizes Wojtek Gawenda.