Jerzy Grotowski (11 August 1933 – 14 January 1999) was a Polish theatre director and a leading figure in avant garde theatre of the 20th century. Most notable for his work in the mode known as 'poor theatre' Grotowski is significant for advancing the work on psycho-physical actions pioneered by Constantin Stanislavsky, for pioneering what is known as para-theatrical (or post-theatrical) work and for popularizing a more ritualistic kind of theatre that would help give rise to the contemporary field of performance studies. is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... There is no strict division in Poland between theatre and film actors, therefore many stage artists are known to viewers the world over, for instance from the films of Andrzej Wajda (e. ...

The Early Years

Grotowski was born in Rzeszów in Poland and lived until the age of six in Przemyśl. During World War II, the family was separated. His mother moved with him to the small village of Nienadówka. His father served as an officer in the Polish Army and was later stationed in England. Grotowski, his mother, and brother all escaped from the Nazis and stayed at the farm of his aunt and uncle. His uncle was a bishop in Kraków, and around this time Grotowski reported his first spiritual awakenings. This is important because Grotowski's career in theatre has come to be seen as a kind of spiritual quest, a confrontation between man and mythology. Rzeszów ( ) is a city in south-eastern Poland with a population of 164,000 (2005), granted a town charter in 1354, the capital of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously of Rzeszów Voivodeship (1945-1998). ... Places PrzemyÅ›l – a city in SE Poland, probably established by an unknown duke called PrzemysÅ‚ PrzemyÅ›l Voivodship – a Polish province from 1975 to 1998 People PrzemysÅ‚, PrzemysÅ‚aw, PÅ™emysl or Przemko is a common Slavic name. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Polish Army (Polish Wojsko Polskie) is the name applied to the military forces of Poland. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II... National Socialism redirects here. ... Motto: Ex navicula navis (From a boat, a ship) Coordinates: , Country Poland Voivodeship Lesser Poland Powiat city county Gmina Kraków City Rights June 5th, 1257 Government  - Mayor Jacek Majchrowski Area  - City 326. ...

In 1955 Grotowski graduated from the High Theatrical School in Kraków with a degree in acting. Soon after graduation he went on to Moscow to study directing at the Lunacharsky Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS). During his stay in Moscow, until 1956, he learned about new trends in theatre pioneered by leading Russian figures such as Stanislavsky, Vakhtangov, Meyerhold and Tairov. He was barely admitted, and by many accounts was an unexceptional student at this time. After returning to Poland Grotowski expanded his studies in directing at the theatrical school from which he had graduated (1956–1960). Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government  - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area  - City 1,081 km²  (417. ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government  - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area  - City 1,081 km²  (417. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A portrait of Konstantin Stanislavsky by Valentin Serov. ... Also spelled Yevgeny Vakhtangov, Associated with the State Institute of Theatre Arts in Moscow (G.I.T.I.S.) in the early 20th century. ... Vsevolod Emilevich Meyerhold (born Karl Kazimir Theodor Meyerhold) (1874 - 1940) was a Russian theatrical director, actor and theorist. ...

Theatre of Productions (1957-69)

In 1958 he made his directorial debut with the production "Gods of Rain" (based on a novel by Jerzy Krzyszton). Foreshadowing the notoriety that was to come, this production was controversial for Grotowski's bold use of text. Said Grotowski, "In terms of my attitude to the dramatic text, I think that the director should treat it solely as a theme upon which he builds a new work of art that is the theatrical spectacle." (R. Konieczna, "Przed premiera 'Pechowcow'. Rozmowa z rezyserem" / "Before the Premiere of 'The Unlucky' - A Conversation with the Director"). This approach is one that he would incorporate throughout the entirety of his career, influencing many subsequent theatre artists. Later that same year, Grotowski moved to Opole where he took over the post of director at the Theatre of 13 Rows. Here he began to assemble a company of actors and artistic collaborators that would help him realize his unique vision. Opole ( ; German: ) is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River (Odra). ...

Among the many productions for which his theatre company would soon become famous were "Orpheus" by Jean Cocteau, "Shakuntala" based on text by Kalidasa, "Dziady" by Adam Mickiewicz and "Akropolis" by Stanislaw Wyspianski. This last production was the first complete realization of Grotowski's notion of 'poor theatre'. In it the company of actors (representing concentration camp prisoners) build the structure of a crematorium around the audience while acting out stories from the bible. This conceptualization had particular resonance for the audiences in Opole, as the Auschwitz concentration camp was only sixty miles away. "Akropolis" was a play that received much attention, and could be said to have launched Grotowski's career internationally. Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (July 5, 1889 – October 11, 1963) was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager and filmmaker. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

In 1964 he followed success with success when his theatre premiered "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" based on the Elizabethan drama by Marlowe. Foregoing the use of props altogether, Grotowski let the actors' bodies represent different objects. In a scene where the pope is at dinner, for example, one actor played the chair, another actor played the meal. These two actors also assumed the role of Mephistopheles at other points in the play, demonstrating the way Grotowski layered meaning on top of meaning in his productions .

In 1965 he moved his company to Wrocław relabeling them a "Teatr Laboratorium", in part to avoid the heavy censorship that professional 'theatres' were subject to in Poland at that time. Work had already begun on one of their most famous productions, "The Constant Prince". Debuting in 1967, this production is thought by many to be one of the greatest theatrical works of the 20th century. Ryzsard Cieslak's performance in the title role is considered the apogee of Grotowski's approach to acting. In his later work, from the Paratheatrical phase onward, Grotowski would explore the meaning of ritual and performance outside the context of aesthetics. Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: Miasto spotkaÅ„ (the meeting place) Coordinates: , Country Poland Voivodeship Lower Silesian Powiat city county Gmina WrocÅ‚aw Established 10th century City Rights 1262 Government  - Mayor RafaÅ‚ Dutkiewicz Area  - City 292. ...

1969 saw the last professional production from Grotowski as director. Entitled "Apocalypsis Cum Figuris" it is widely regarded as one of the best theatre productions of the twentieth century. Again utilizing text from the bible, this production was cited by members of the company as an example of a group 'total act'. In its development (which took three years) and in its aesthetic Grotowski can already be seen abandoning the conventions of traditional theatre and investigating 'post-theatrical' approaches to ritual and community.

Grotowski revolutionized theatre, and, along with his first apprentice Eugenio Barba, leader and founder of Odin Teatret, is considered a father of contemporary theatre. Barba was instrumental in revealing Grotowski to the world outside the iron curtain. He was the editor of Grotowski's seminal book, Towards a Poor Theatre (1968), in which Grotowski declared that theatre should not, because it could not, compete against the overwhelming spectacle of film and should instead focus on the very root of the act of theatre: actors in front of spectators. Eugenio Barba (born in Brindisi, Italy, on October 29, 1936) is an Italian author and authority on theatre. ... ODIN TEATRET was founded in Oslo in 1964 and has been based in Holstebro since 1966. ... Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ... Eugenio Barba (born in Brindisi, Italy, on October 29, 1936) is an Italian author and authority on theatre. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ...

Theatre - through the actor's technique, his art in which the living organism strives for higher motives - provides an opportunity for what could be called integration, the discarding of masks, the revealing of the real substance: a totality of physical and mental reactions. This opportunity must be treated in a disciplined manner, with a full awareness of the responsibilities it involves. Here we can see the theatre's therapeutic function for people in our present day civilization. It is true that the actor accomplishes this act, but he can only do so through an encounter with the spectator - intimately, visibly, not hiding behind a cameraman, wardrobe mistress, stage designer or make-up girl - in direct confrontation with him, and somehow " instead of" him. The actor's act - discarding half measures, revealing, opening up, emerging from himself as opposed to closing up - is an invitation to the spectator. This act could be compared to an act of the most deeply rooted, genuine love between two human beings - this is just a comparison since we can only refer to this "emergence from oneself" through analogy. This act, paradoxical and borderline, we call a total act. In our opinion it epitomizes the actor's deepest calling. From 'Towards a Poor Theatre' by Grotowski^[1] Encounters can be understood as authentic, congruent meetings between others. ...

The Notion of a 'Poor' Theatre

Grotowski was a revolutionary figure in theatre because he helped redefine the purpose of theatre in contemporary culture. One of his central ideas was the notion of the 'poor' theatre. By this he meant a theatre in which the fundamental concern was the work of the actor with the audience, not the sets, costumes, lighting or special effects. In his view these were just trappings and, while they may enhance the experience of theatre, were unnecessary to the central core of meaning that theatre should generate. 'Poor' meant the stripping away of all that was unnecessary and leaving a 'stripped' and vulnerable actor. He contrasted this approach with the so-called 'rich theatre', which was not only a theatre of spectacle, but a theatre of assimilation, one that adopted the aesthetics of television and film instead of striving for what was 'essential' to theatre. Grotowski always maintained that theatre could never compete with cinema and that cinema offered a different experience to theatre. He wanted to bring a theatre to an audience that was confronting, challenging and experiential. Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ... An audience is a group of people who participate in an experience or encounter a work of art, literature, theatre, music or academics in any medium. ... Set construction is a process by which a set designer works in collaboration with the director of the production to create the set for a theatrical production. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Lighting includes both artificial light sources such as lamps and natural illumination of interiors from daylight. ... Special effects (abbreviated SPFX or SFX) are used in the film, television, and entertainment industry to create effects that cannot be achieved by normal means, such as depicting travel to other star systems. ...

Applying this principle in his 'laboratory' in Poland, Grotowski jettisoned all costume and staging and preferred to work with all black sets and actors in plain black rehearsal costumes, at least in the rehearsal process. He made the actors go through rigorous exercises so that they had full control over their bodies. What was important to Grotowski was what the actor could do with his or her body and voice without aids and with only the visceral experience with the audience. In this sense he overturned the traditions of exotic costumes and stunning staging that had driven much European theatre from the 19th century. This is not to say that in public theatrical performances he completely disregarded lights and sets, in fact, among some critics he is credited with early experiments in environmental staging, but these were secondary and never supplanted the primacy of the actors. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

By gradually eliminating whatever proved superfluous, we found that theatre can exist without make-up, without autonomic costume and scenography, without a separate performance area (stage), without lighting and sound effects, etc. It cannot exist without the spectator relationship of perceptual, direct, communion. This is an ancient theoretical truth, of course, but when rigorously tested in practice it undermines most of our usual ideas about theatre. It challenges the notion of theatre as a synthesis of disparate creative discipline; literature, sculpture, painting. architecture, lighting, acting....

(Jerzy Grotowski, Towards a Poor Theatre. Simon & Schuster, 1968, p.19)

Grotowski's training regime was devised to:

1. Eliminate, not teach something (Via Negativa).

   This can be described as a basic philosophy for actor training that essentially says the actor's main task involves not accruing skills so much as eradicating obstacles that get in the way of being true.^[2]

2. Enhance that which already exists.
3. Create all that is needed for the play in the actor's body, with little use of props.
4. Promote rigorous physical and vocal training of actors
5. Avoid the beautiful if it does not foster truth

To this concept of 'poor theatre' Grotowski (an atheist) added the concept of the 'priesthood' or sacredness of the actor. When the actor entered the sanctity of the performance space, then a special event occurred, much like the Mass in the Roman Catholic Church. It was in this space, in the holy relationship between the actor and the audience, that an audience was challenged to think and be transformed by theatre. In this sense, Grotowski was one of the key figures in the development of political theatre in the 20th Century. His theatrical productions often contained political and social themes. The actor, depending only on the natural gifts of voice and body, could bring the sacred rituals of theatre and the themes of social transformation to the audience. The audience became pivotal to theatrical performance, and theatre became more than entertainment: it became a pathway to understanding. This philosophy was perhaps best realized in the last production of his 'professional phase', Apocalypsis Cum Figuris. Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic... . ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999...

Grotowski, as he wrote and published his work, became renowned and received numerous invitations to work in the most prominent drama schools, theatre companies and universities in Europe and America. Most of these he declined, preferring instead to stay with his actors in his small 'laboratory', in relative obscurity.

The Paratheatrical Phase (1969-78)

In 1970 Grotowski published "Holiday," which outlined a new course of investigation. He would pursue this 'Paratheatrical' phase until 1978. This phase is known as the 'Paratheatrical' phase of his career because it was an attempt to transcend the separation between performer and spectator. Grotowski attempted this through the organization of communal rites and simple interactive exchanges that went on sometimes for extended periods, attempting to provoke in participants a deconditioning of impulse. The most widely circulated description of one of these post-theatrical events (a 'beehive') is voiced by Andre Gregory, Grotowski's long-time friend and the American director whose work he most strongly endorsed, in My Dinner with Andre. Various collaborators who had been important to Grotowski's work in what he termed his "Theatre of Productions" phase had difficulty following him in these explorations beyond the boundary of conventional theatre. Other, younger members of the group came to the foreground, notably Jacek Zmyslowski, whom many would consider Grotowski's closest collaborator in this period. Theatre critics have often exoticized and mystified Grotowski's work on the basis of these paratheatrical experiments, suggesting that his work should be seen in the lineage of Antonin Artaud, a suggestion Grotowski strongly resisted. Later in life, he clarified that he quickly found this direction of research limiting, having realized that unstructured work frequently elicits banalities and cultural cliche from participants. Andre Gregory (born May 11, 1934, New York City) is a Jewish-American director and actor. ... My Dinner with Andre is a 1981 movie starring Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn, written by Gregory and Shawn, and directed by Louis Malle. ... Antonin Artaud Antoine Marie Joseph Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud (born September 4, 1896, in Marseille; died March 4, 1948 in Paris) was a French playwright, poet, actor and director. ...

Theatre of Sources (1976-82)

In this period of his work, Grotowski traveled intensively in India, Mexico, Haiti and elsewhere, seeking to identify elements of technique in the traditional practices of various cultures that could have a precise and discernible effect on participants. Key collaborators in this phase of work include Wlodzimierz Staniewski, subsequently founder of Gardzienice Theatre Association, Jairo Cuesta and Magda Zlotowska, who traveled with Grotowski on his international expeditions. His interest in ritual techniques linked to Hatian practice led Grotowski to a long-standing collaboration with Maud Robart and Tiga of Saint Soleil. Always a master strategist, Grotowski made use of his international ties and the relative freedom of travel allowed him to pursue this program of cultural research in order to flee Poland following the imposition of martial law. He spent time in Haiti and in Rome, where he delivered a series of important lectures on the topic of theatre anthropology at the University of Rome La Sapienza in 1982 before seeking political asylum in the United States. His dear friends Andre and Mercedes Gregory helped Grotowski to settle in the US, where he taught at Columbia University for one year while attempting to find support for a new program of research. He also spent a semester as a teacher in resident at UC Irvine during this time. Andre Gregory (born May 11, 1934, New York City) is a Jewish-American director and actor. ...

Objective Drama (1983-86)

Unable (despite the best efforts of Richard Schechner) to secure resources for his projected research in Manhattan, in 1983 Grotowski relocated to UC Irvine where he began a course of work known as 'Objective Drama'. This phase of reserach was characterized by an investigation of the psychophysiological impact of selected songs and other performative tools derived from traditional cultures on participants, focusing specifically on relatively simple techniques that could exert a discernible and predictable impact on the doer regardless of her belief structures or culture of origin. Ritual songs and related performative elements linked to Hatian and other African diaspora traditions became an especially fruitful tool of research. During this time Grotowski continued several important collaborative relationships begun in earlier phases, with Maud Robart, Jairo Cuesta, and Pablo Jimenez taking on significant roles as performers and research leaders in the project. He also initiated a longstanding creative relationship with American director James Slowiak and discovered the individual to whom he would ultimately pass responsibility for his life-long research, Thomas Richards, son of legendary African-American director Lloyd Richards. Richard Schechner (b 1934) is University Professor/Professor of Performance Studies at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, editor of TDR: The Drama Review, and artistic director of East Coast Artists. ... Lloyd Richards (June 29, 1919 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada –June 29, 2006 in New York City, New York) was an American actor and director best known for staging the original production of Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun, which debuted on Broadway to standing ovations on March 11...

Art as Vehicle (1986- )

In 1986, Grotowski was invited by Roberto Bacci of the Centro per la Sperimentazioe e la Ricerca Teatrale to shift the base of his work to Pontedera, Italy, where he was offered an opportunity to conduct long-term research on performance without the pressure of having to show results until he was ready. Grotowski gladly accepted, taking with him three assistants from Objective Drama research (Richards, Jimenez and Slowiak) to help in founding his Italian Workcenter. Robart also led a work-team in Pontedera for several years, after which time funding cuts necessitated downscaling to a single research group, led by Richards. Grotowski took the term used to describe his final phase of research from a talk by Peter Brook, who coined the phrase "art as vehicle" to characterize the focus of his attention. "It seems to me," Brook said, "That Grotowski is showing us something which existed in the past but has been forgotten over the centuries. That is that one of the vehicles which allows man to have access to another level of perception is to be found in the art of performance." The culmination of Grotowski's life-long research involving the potential efficacy of ritual performance, Art as Vehicle focuses on the subtle process of energy transformation that can be activated within an appropriately skilled and prepared doer working with vibratory songs linked to ritual traditions, in the framework of a precise and repeatable artistic structure. Grotowski articulated one of the most lucid and concise explanations of his work, specifically his interest in performance as a vehicle for pursuing what he termed "verticality," in an essay printed in appendix to Thomas Richards first book, At Work with Grotowski on Physical Actions. The work of Grotowski's final phase thus represents a synthesis of his early insistence on craft and emphasis on an acting process rooted in Stanislavski's method of physical actions with the results of his extensive investigation of bodily techniques. Richards became Grotowski's "essential collaborator" in this research, working intensively alongisde him for 13 years in an intimate and rigorous dynamic described by Grotowski as a unique, singular process of "transmission," understood in the sense of traditional initiatory practices. One of the primary concerns of Grotowski's latter years was that the research that had been the focus of his lifework should not die with him, but rather be passed on to other hands, so that this knowledge should not be lost. Toward that end, he drove Richards to take on increasingly greater responsibility and leadership in the work, until he was not only the primary doer in the practice of Art as Vehicle, but also its leader and "director" (if such a term can be accurately used) of the performance structures created around these Afro-Caribbean vibratory songs, most significantly Downstairs Action (filmed by Mercedes Gregory in 1989) and Action, on which work began in 1994 and continues to the present. Italian actor Mario Biagini, who joined the Workcenter shortly after its founding, also became a central contributor to this research. In 1995, Grotowski changed the name of the Italian center to the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards to signal the unique and central place Richards held in his work. Although Grotowski died in 1999 at the end of a prolonged illness, the research of Art as Vehicle continues at the Pontedera Workcenter, with Richards as Artistic Director and Biagini as Associate Artistic Director. Grotowski's will declared the two his "universal heirs," holders of copyright on the entirety of his textual output and intellectual property. Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH CBE (born 21 March 1925) is a highly influential British theatrical producer and director. ...

External links

• Biography
• Source material on his work