Jerzy Grotowski was an innovative theatre director whose practice and theories has contributed significantly to contemporary theatre practice and actor training. In order to access a broad understanding of Grotowski, this essay will examine his life and the historical context in which he developed his practices. The lineages of actor training that influenced Grotowski will be briefly analysed, and then we will discuss Grotowski’s artistic journey over the course of his life, I will then discuss particular those that I as an actor in training find most inspiring and useful.
Grotowski was born in Rzeszów, Poland in 1933. He was primarily raised by his mother, who brought home a book, Paul Brunton’s A secret Seer in Secret India, which describe …show more content…
Due to the economic depression in Poland, poverty was harsh reality of life that Grotowski elevated into his own aesthetic. He believed that by stripping all excess away from a piece of theatre, and placing the focus squarely on the actor’s body, sacred theatre could be made. Only the living breathing actor could in combination with simple scenic elements create magical transformation. He believed that theatre could not stand up to the lavish production standards of film and television, and advocated for theatre makers to abandon trying to catch up to the screen with clever design elements and instead focus on the physicality of the actor, to access ‘the deepest riches of the art form’. For me, Poor Theatre is an ideal to strive for as a training artist with limited resources and skillsets. Like Grotowski, I can try to make work that strips back the inessential and focuses on the body of the actor in …show more content…
Developing his ideas in a politically charged and impoverished historical context shaped the course of his research throughout his life. By exploring and taking ideas from practioners like Stanislavky, Meyerhold and Vakhangatov, he researched many aspects of theatre. By trying to remove all that was uncessary in performance he and his actors strived for complete physical involvement in action. Investigating Grotowski’s ideas has allowed me to intergrate his theory with his practice and consider many different aspects of
Grotowski was born in Rzeszów, Poland in 1933. He was primarily raised by his mother, who brought home a book, Paul Brunton’s A secret Seer in Secret India, which describe …show more content…
Due to the economic depression in Poland, poverty was harsh reality of life that Grotowski elevated into his own aesthetic. He believed that by stripping all excess away from a piece of theatre, and placing the focus squarely on the actor’s body, sacred theatre could be made. Only the living breathing actor could in combination with simple scenic elements create magical transformation. He believed that theatre could not stand up to the lavish production standards of film and television, and advocated for theatre makers to abandon trying to catch up to the screen with clever design elements and instead focus on the physicality of the actor, to access ‘the deepest riches of the art form’. For me, Poor Theatre is an ideal to strive for as a training artist with limited resources and skillsets. Like Grotowski, I can try to make work that strips back the inessential and focuses on the body of the actor in …show more content…
Developing his ideas in a politically charged and impoverished historical context shaped the course of his research throughout his life. By exploring and taking ideas from practioners like Stanislavky, Meyerhold and Vakhangatov, he researched many aspects of theatre. By trying to remove all that was uncessary in performance he and his actors strived for complete physical involvement in action. Investigating Grotowski’s ideas has allowed me to intergrate his theory with his practice and consider many different aspects of