Jerzy Grotowski [1933-1999]

Jerzy Grotowski

Short Biography

Innovative Polish - born in Rzeszow - theatre director, teacher, and drama theorist, with an important influence on the development of modern theater. Author of "Towards a Poor Theatre".
Grotowski, was one of Peter Brook's major influences, was an advocate of stripping away the surface trappings, thus creating a ritualistic, "bare-bones" theatre.
After studying in Cracow and Moscow, he founded the Theatre of 13 Rows in Opole (1956-64), which moved to Wroc as the Laboratory Theatre (1965-84).
Since 1982 he has lived in the USA. He died in January 14, 1999 in Pontedera, Italy.

Jerzy Grotowski quotes

• «I'm interested for the actor because he is a human being. That interest premise two basic points. First, the contact with another person, the mutual understanding or otherwise the overcoming of our soleness. Second an attempt to understand ourselves through the behavior of another human being like seeing us in him.
  If the actor reproduces an action that I tough him is a kind of "exercise". The result is a well-worn deed which methodologically and deep inside I find it sterile. But if we approach, in tandem, the point where the actor, relieved from his daily resistances let himself to uncover through a reaction, I believe that methodologically, this work is effective. Therefore I ought to enrich my inner world because this reaction reveals a piece of human experience, something unique that can be defined as fate, a human condition».
  [Lecture excerpt - Grotowski. Published: 1967, Warsow.]