Grażyna Szapołowska, one of Poland’s best known actresses, will have to say farewell to her company – the National Theatre in Warsaw.

The theatre’s artistic director Jan Englert has said he is going to dissolve an employment contract with Szapołowska because of her fragrant violation of its provisions.

The company had to cancel last Saturday’s performance of Sławomir Mrożek’s Tango after Szapołowska failed to turn up at the theatre.

Jan Englert came onto the stage and apologized to the audience. As it turned out, the actress chose to appear in a live television show.

She had earlier asked the artistic director for a leave of absence on Saturday  - as she had another TV engagement - but was not granted it. Englert described her behaviour as a breach of the code of professional ethics and of in-house regulations.

Fifty eight year-old Szapołowska is known primarily as a film actress, with leads in over thirty features to her credit, including Krzysztof Kieślowski’s A Short Film about Love. (mk)