Agata Pilitowska

Actress,
Salon Poezji, Muzyki i Teatru

Agata Pilitowska is a graduate of the State Higher School of Theatre in Kraków. In her graduation performance of A Streetcar Named Desire, she played Stella under the pedagogical supervision of Prof. Jerzy Stuhr. She has performed as a guest artist at the Stary Theatre and the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Kraków. She also collaborated with Polish Television, appearing in televised plays such as The Forgotten Devil, The Physicists, and His Excellency Nobody, among others.

She has lived in Toronto since 1986. She has appeared in numerous theatrical productions in Canadian theatre, performing in such venues as Toronto Workshop Productions, Tarragon Theatre, Annex Theatre, and The Queen Theatre.

Since 1991, she has been associated with the Salon of Poetry, Music and Theatre in Toronto, founded by Maria Nowotarska, where she has performed in over 150 theatrical productions.

Among her most significant works are dramas written specifically for Agata Pilitowska and Maria Nowotarska by Kazimierz Braun and directed by the author. These productions have been performed worldwide, often with translations into French, Greek, Portuguese, German, and English.

Her repertoire also includes poetry performance pieces, such as works by Wisława Szymborska (Poetry Without Borders) and Zbigniew Herbert (Beauty and Goodness). She has presented them in English at numerous venues across the American continent, including universities in Montreal, Toronto, and Washington (Georgetown University), as well as during the International Writers Festival in Ottawa.

She has acted in numerous radio dramas, portraying, among others, Karolina Lanckorońska in Kazimierz Braun's play. Her latest recording is What I Received from God and People – The Story of Helena Modjeska.

From 1999 to 2014, Agata Pilitowska worked for the Canadian multicultural television station OMNI TV. She is the author of the series Monday Poetry Meetings, which was broadcast by Nasze Radio New York.

Since 2017, she has served as Co-Artistic Director of the Theatre alongside Maria Nowotarska.

For her artistic achievements, Agata has received the following awards and honors:

 Bronze Medal "Gloria Artis" (2006)

 Gold Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2013)

 Golden Owl (Vienna) – for achievements in the field of acting

 Two Golden Leaf Awards – granted by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage for her roles as Hanka Ordonówna and Pola Negri in Kazimierz Braun's plays

 Politka Statuette – for her role as Pola Negri

 Helena Modjeska Lifetime Achievement Award – granted by the Helena Modjeska Art and Culture Club in Los Angeles

 Centennial Medal of the Discovery of Polonium and Radium – awarded by the Maria Skłodowska-Curie in Tribute Society

 Badge of Merit for Polish Culture

 Ignacy Paderewski Medal

 Kazimierz Pułaski Medal, among others