Barbara Wiśniewska obtained a degree in directing from the Warsaw Theatre Academy, where she currently teaches. Previously, she studied Cultural Studies at the University of Warsaw. She has twice received a scholarship for outstanding achievementsand from the Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education the Zbigniew Krawczykowski Award.
She learnt the professional ropes working alongside Katie Mitchell, Christopher Alden, and Ushio Amagatsu, then served as Mariusz Treliński's assistant and revival director at the Polish National Opera, El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Theater an der Wien, and the National Theatre in Prague (2012–2022).
Wiśniewska made her debut as oper director with Cracovians and Highlanders at the Wrocław Opera (2017). Most recently, she directed Die Fledermaus (2022) at the Berlin Opernfest, Il trovatore (2023) at Opera na Zamku in Szczecin, The Flying Dutchman (2023), and Penderecki's St Luke Passion (2025) for the Baltic Opera Festival (Forest Opera in Sopot). In September 2025 she made her debut at the Polish National Opera, directing the world premiere of Cezary Duchnowski's The Best City In The World: An Opera About Warsaw.
Wiśniewska made her theatre debut in 2015 with the critically acclaimed production of Baby Doll at the Studio Theatre in Warsaw (2015). She has since directed numerous theatre productions, concerts, festival performances, and performative readings for institutional theatres in Poland and abroad.
