Prestiż. Kulturowy wymiar pracy w teatrze w aspekcie zrównoważonego rozwoju na Warmii i Mazurach

The aim of the text is to show the role of culture in sustainable development as a process in which the values, that define work, are transferred and consolidated. The example is the prestige of artistic work in the theatre in Varmia and Masuria region. The cultural function of work is expressed here in the values that determine the prestige of workplaces and professions. Prestige is a concept that specializes and prioritizes the perception of work. It means public respect which is expressed by at least two participants of communication. The theatre is the object of expressing prestige in the performance of work. The subject of the analysis are congratulatory diplomas given to a well known actress of the Olsztyn theatre from the 1940s to 1980. The topics analysed include the reasons for expressing prestige, ways of determining merit, phrases emphasizing prestige and its non-verbal forms. The prestige of the theatre institution and prestige of persons who work there is not directly a result of their professional activities but is determined by other, external factors. The ‘subordinate’, service and non-profit character of cultural institutions and their workers is emphasized. Moreover, the prestige is expressed in a specific cultural context of a region which suffered from significant population changes resulting from the change of Polish borders after 1945.