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Tomasz Katra

From the football fields of his youth to the world’s festival stages, Tomasz Katra’s artistic journey is marked by transformation, discipline, and an unmistakable emotional presence.

Born in 1990 in Chmielnik, Poland, he trained as a promising athlete—until a serious injury turned his course. Where others might have seen loss, Tomasz found a new arena: the stage. In 2009, he entered Kraków’s vibrant student theatre scene and never looked back. Immersed in the city’s experimental spaces, he performed in more than fifty amateur productions, each deepening his commitment to storytelling as craft. A formative cultural exchange with Portuguese artists during that period ignited his passion for cross-border collaboration, something that would echo years later as his career expanded across Europe and North Africa.

Though he briefly worked with the English Touring Theatre Company early in his career—gaining experience in English-language performance and classical repertory—his professional growth crystallized through his work with KITE Theater, where his nuanced, emotionally charged performances began to turn heads.

His breakout came in Mind Prey (2023), a psychological stage thriller in which he embodied four distinct roles: a therapist, a priest, a bartender, and a judge. Staged at Kraków’s Theatre KTO, the production challenged audiences with shifting perspectives on guilt, truth, and memory. Critics and viewers alike praised Tomasz’s ability to inhabit divergent characters with seamless transitions—his voice, physicality, and timing shaped not just the story but the audience’s perception of reality itself.

Mind Prey wasn’t confined to the local stage. It traveled to the Carthage Theatre Festival in Tunis, where it captivated international audiences, and went on to represent Poland at the Alexandria International Theatre Festival in 2024. There, in addition to performing, Tomasz was entrusted with hosting the closing ceremony—offering warmth, multilingual clarity, and poise as he guided a diverse audience through the festival’s final moments. Earlier that same year, he was invited to open the closing ceremony of SITFY Poland—the Sharm El Sheikh International Theatre Festival’s Kraków edition—with a solo vocal performance that blended ceremonial gravity with emotional resonance. Both appearances highlighted his unique ability to move between performance and presence—anchoring major artistic events not only as an actor but as a connective figure.

In April 2025, he returned to the Kraków stage in Between Heaven and Earth, a tense, emotionally layered ensemble drama set within the claustrophobic confines of a stalled elevator. Staged at Dworek Białoprądnicki, the piece delved into themes of justice, conscience, and complicity. Tomasz’s performance, marked by subtle restraint and emotional weight, reinforced his standing as an actor deeply attuned to psychological realism and ensemble storytelling.

Alongside his stage work, Tomasz has built a growing presence in film. In 2024, he was part of the creative team behind the short film Chronos, directed by Filip Gąsiorowski. The film—about time, reconciliation, and generational silence—earned accolades at the Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles and won the Gold Award at the Hollywood Independent Filmmakers Awards. Tomasz contributed behind the scenes as production manager, set manager, and assistant sound operator, further proving his versatility and commitment to cinematic storytelling. His previous film credits include Madame Picard (as producer and actor), Incognito, and Krzesło dla Eliasza, where he worked across lighting, casting, and camera departments.

While his main stage belongs to adult theatre and film, Tomasz also tours Poland with Teatr Miś, a Kraków-based children’s theatre ensemble. There, he brings his energy and playfulness to interactive, often magical performances for young audiences. This work, though quieter in profile, reflects his deep affection for children’s imagination and a remarkable ability to communicate across generations—skills that only enrich his artistic palette. Tomasz Katra is, at his core, a storyteller drawn to complexity—of character, of situation, of human truth.

Whether stepping into the skin of conflicted figures in psychological drama, shaping narrative energy as a festival host, or supporting an award-winning film from behind the camera, he brings clarity, conviction, and generosity to every role he plays. With each project, he continues to deepen his reach across disciplines and borders, inviting audiences not just to watch, but to reflect.

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