He graduated from the National Ballet School in Gdańsk (1998) and from the Acting Department of Leon Schiller National Film, Television and Theatre School (2003).
His most acclaimed role is Nijinsky from a monodrama under the same title, directed by Waldemar Zawodziński for the Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź (2005). Maćkowiak prepared the choreography for that performance and co-authored the screenplay. Participating in this performance – locally hailed as cult – gave him the opportunity to combine his previous stage experiences as a dancer and as a dramatic actor. He managed to produce a memorable performance of a deranged artist. Monika Mocur wrote:
The actor walks a fine line between normality and insanity. He takes a winding path, which is only signposted by subsequent levels of mental illness. Everything is communicated in an extreme register, there is no room for mediocrity or greyscale, Nijinsky's world is entirely black and white – he either loves something madly or genuinely hates it, feels ecstasy or pain. (Dziennik Teatralny, Łódź, December 18, 2009)
The Stefan Jaracz Theatre
In 2003, Maćkowiak joined the cast of the Stefan Jaracz Theatre. That is where he debuted as Count Franz Rosenberg in Peter Shaffer's Amadeus, directed by Zawodziński (2001). Apart from that, he played Jimmy Porter in Rage to Love by Maggie Osborne, and Ferdinand in Schiller's Inrigue and Love – both also directed by Zawodziński. He also collaborated with other directors – in 2002, he played Felix in The Lonely Way by Arthur Schnitzler, staged by Bogdan Hussakowski. He also had successful appearances in contemporary plays. He starred as Victor in Mark Ravenhill's Some Explicit Polaroids directed by Andrzej Majczak (2003) and as the lost and hounded Paul in the heavy performance about child abuse – Thomas Jonigk's Täter directed by Piotr Chołodziński (2004).
Collaborating with Małgorzata Bogajewska
He also created several interesting roles in performances directed by Małgorzata Bogajewska. In Vladimir Zuev's Osaczeni (Круговая оборона, 2007) he played Wesoły, traumatized by the experience of war:
he cast his Nijinsky mask off […] his vulgarity hit right between the eyes.
(Agnieszka Michalak, Dziennik-Gazeta Prawna, September 18, 2009)
In Anthony Neilson's Stitching – a contemporary play about love accompanied by dangerous liminal states, Maćkowiak, playing Stu, co-formed a magnificent dramatic duo together with Katarzyna Cynke, in the role of Abby. In Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams (2010) Maćkowiak's dramatically refined Brick “was a somewhat desperate man, who wanted to end up as a loser at any cost.” (Renata Sas, Express Ilustrowany, April 24, 2010)