The issues of theatre’s contemporary role in political history and exploitation of history in theatre have not been comprehensively researched yet. The article is an attempt to discussion about the political use of theatre in Poland under two different regimes: authoritarian period of Władysław Gomułka’s rule and democratic period of Jarosław Kaczyński’s government. The most crucial experience of instrumental exploition of theatrical scene in political intrigue was analysed: the case of Dziady (Forefathers’ Eve) played in the National Theatre’s season 1967/68. The second part of the argument was focused on the phenomenon of TV Theate’s “Scena Faktu” (“Docudrama”) – the series of 25 spectacles inspired by obscure event of contemporary history, deprived of objectivity and exposing the educational role of patriotict conduct promotion rather than artistic aspect. The problem of both analysed cases is about the authority engagement in theatre and illustrates the model of historical and cultural politics of both compared periods.