75 Absorbing Poor Theatre Resources

Polish theorist and practitioner Jerzy Grotowski (1933–1999) is today best known for his poor theatre form, The Laboratory Theatre and the tiny Theatre of 13 Rows in regional Poland. But his poor theatre concept and practice were just one of many phases in a career spanning four decades. Much of Grotowski’s work with actors was never performed, and if it was, before modest-sized audiences. Poor theatre advocated the elimination of the excesses of theatre – no sets, few props, basic lighting and nondescript costumes. His was a holy and ritualistic theatre of reduction, where only the actor remained. – Justin Cash

Poor Theatre Resources

Jerzy Grotowski Biographies

An extensive biography of Jerzy Grotowski and the distinct phases of his work over several decades.

Encyclopedia.com biography of Grotowski and his work, outlining the principles of his actor training program.

To enter Grotowski’s training program, actors must be willing to devote several years of selfless service. All training is precise, disciplined, and intensely physical.

jerry l. crawford

acting in person and in style

Obituary of sorts from theatre academic Richard Schechner on the passing of Jerzy Grotowski in 1999. This offers a great insight into the man and his work (from TDR – The Drama Review).

Biography of Jerzy Grotowski from the Grotowski Institute, Poland.

Jerzy Grotowski biography and career outline from Wikipedia.

Brief Jerzy Grotowski biography from Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Phases of Grotowski’s Work

1959-1969 | Theatre of Productions

Poor theatre phase, Theatre of the 13 Rows, Akropolis (1962), The Constant Prince (1965), Apocalypsis cum Figuris (1968).

1969-1978 | Paratheatre

Exercises, improvisations and experiments without an audience, work on the self.

1976-1982 | Theatre of Sources

Period of self-discovery examining the sources of tradition and ritual via exposure in India, Mexico, Haiti and other countries, at the same time avoiding communist martial law in Poland.

1983-1992 | Objective Drama

Artistic-research-teaching phase at the University of California on actor training aimed at eradicating blocks and obstructions in the actor.

1991-1999 | Art as Vehicle

Continued research and actor training at the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski at Pontedera, Italy. Art became a vehicle which allowed the actor to obtain another level of perception.

Actor Training and Conventions

An outline of the conventions and techniques of Grotowski’s work including movement, staging, text, actor-audience relationship, quotes, acting and characterisation from The Drama Teacher website.

Fantastic resource website devoted to Grotowski and his theatre, with video clips, terminology, productions, audio, research, image galleries, and more.

Excellent glossary of terms, phrases, people and titles connected to Grotowski and his work.

Excellent interview with a university academic and author of works on Grotowski discussing various aspects of Grotowski’s work over his lifetime, including his influences, major productions, connections with Antonin Artaud, stage design, and more.

Grotowski’s training exercises at Odin Teatret, Denmark, 1972.

Lee Strasberg on Poor Theatre – An excellent essay, detailing Lee Strasberg’s definitions of acting. Includes a useful section on performance styles outlining Grotowski’s Poor Theatre.

Grotowski actors use no makeup or regular theatre costumes. Lighting and sound effects are not provided (except illumination of both actors and spectators). Few properties, if any, are used. Grotowski prefers the actors “transform” objects through action and gesture.

jerry l. crawford

acting in person and in style

Overview of Grotowski’s influence on world theatre in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Article discussing the difference between spectacle and special effects in theatre and how Grotowski successfully created a spectacle in his work without any special effects at all.

Interview with Jerzy Grotowski.

A wonderful first-hand account of a Polish actress who worked in Grotowski’s ensemble in the Theatre of the 13 Rows, Opole, Poland, describing working with him in the original production of Akropolis.

Fascinating two-part podcast on Jerzy Grotowski and his work interviewing Thomas Richards, the co-founder of his work centre in Pontedera, Italy, and Paul Allain, Grotowski researcher and academic.

Easy to understand explanation of the relevance of Grotowski and his techniques to today’s actors.

Interview and actor training exercises.

Rare series of image galleries of Grotowski productions from the late 1950s to late 1970s.

Extensive encyclopaedia of terms, people and titles related to Grotowski and his work. Great for the Grotowski scholar who wishes to deepen their understanding of Grotowski’s principles.

All the actors use gestures, positions, and rhythms borrowed from pantomime. Each has his own silhouette irrevocably fixed. The result is a depersonalization of the characters. When the individual traits are removed, the actors become stereotypes of the species. The means of verbal expression have been considerably enlarged because all means of vocal expression are used, starting from the confused babbling of the very small child and including the most sophisticated oratorical recitation. Inarticulate groans, animal roars, tender folksongs, liturgical chants, dialects, declamation of poetry: everything is there. The sounds are interwoven in a complex score which brings back fleetingly the memory of all the forms of language.

jerzy grotowski

towards a poor theatre

Through the lens of one theatre ensemble and their dramatic work, this essay discusses the impact of using Grotowski’s techniques, such as psychophysical training, his plastiques and other exercises, to find the internal core at the centre of the actor.

Peter Brook’s account of the “Holy Theatre”, like that of Grotowski’s, in his seminal 1968 text The Empty Space.

Letter from Opole. Film about Grotowski’s early training programs.

Interview discussing the use of Grotowski’s “plastiques” and “corporeals” in physical theatre work.

Pillory Theater Interview with a member of a theatre company using Grotowski’s techniques.

He called his theatre poor because it dispensed with theatrical trappings and technological resources of ‘rich’ theatre. Grotowski made the actor’s voice and body central to the performance. Only stationary light sources were used; the only masks were the actor’s faces; costume was nondescript; vocal effects replaced instrumental music and sound ‘off’; the auditorium became an intimate space divided in varying ways to allow the utmost contact and exchange between performers and audience.

(ed.) colin chambers

the continuum companion to twentieth century theatre

Programme from the Grotowski Institute, Poland, which offers a synopsis of several films connected to Grotowski and his work.

Excellent collection of historical videos demonstrating Grotowski’s actor training techniques.

Improvisations before Jerzy Grotowski, 1996.

Owen Daly Grotowski’s set of acting principles.

Article about the actor’s body and the use of Grotowski’s plastiques.

For Grotowski, theatre is not a matter of art. It’s not a matter of plays, productions, performances. Theatre is something else. Theatre is an ancient and basic instrument that helps us with one drama only – the drama of our existence – and helps us to find our way towards the source of what we are.

peter brook

A personal account of how Grotowski’s principles and methods have positively affected an actor.

Explanation of corporeal mime, a technique Grotowski used in his actor training.

Exploration of what constitutes corporeal mime from Wikipedia.

A brief explanation from the Grotowski Institute of the use of corporeal code in the physical training of martial arts.

Article outlining various scandals in Polish theatre, briefly discussing Grotowski’s Apocalypsis cum Figuris, after which Polish right-wing circles saw him as a charlatan and blasphemer. Includes a quote explaining the format of the work, with has “almost no literary script” to speak of.

The actors are able to transform the first set into whatever the story requires, giving them an unlimited number of locations to work in. Grotowski uses this technique of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary in all of his productions. In Akropolis, the actors are surrounded by what appears to be junk. Yet, all of the objects transform throughout the piece. A wheel barrel becomes a boat, while a pipe becomes a long lost lover. All of the objects come together in order to make the crematorium. Each time, it is the actor who initiates the transformation. Her interaction with the object is what allows it to change, to become anything and everything.

Natalie osborne

spectacular: the art of theatre spectacle, howlround

Excellent first-hand account of Grotowski’s working methods and his production Apocalypsis cum Figuris.

Jerzy Grotwoski Poor Theatre — Jerzy Grotowski (b.1933 – d.1999)

Academic Papers and Journal Articles

An academic paper outlining the differing uses of a mask in modern theatre. Search for “Jerzy Grotowski: The Mask as Essence” to read an interesting section on Grotowski’s notion of the actor’s “mask” and the demands it placed on the actor.

Grotowski’s training exercises at Odin Teatret, Denmark 1972.

Very informative Ph.D thesis which includes a chapter on Grotowski’s work on actor impulse and movement, clearly outlining the different phases of Grotowski’s career (PDF download).

Academic journal article examining the different phases of Grotowski’s work over the years.

Ph.D thesis on the work of Jerzy Grotowski and the many phases of his actor training process over several decades.

An interesting paper exploring the changing political landscape while Grotowski worked in Poland.

An excellent academic paper exploring Grotowski’s concept of poor theatre, the holy actor, use of montage, score and actor contact.

Jerzy Grotowski at Odin Teatret, Denmark, 1971. Original 16mm film, no sound.

An academic study exploring Grotowski’s methods with pre-adolescent children.

An academic paper exploring how several Western theatre practitioners were influenced by the Oriental gestures used in Peking Opera, including Grotowski.

PowerPoint presentation on Grotowski’s life and works. Includes diagrams of actor-audience configurations for productions during his poor theatre phase.

Academic thesis on Grotowski’s work from a South African perspective. Includes very useful explanations of what Grotowski’s corporeal and plastique exercises entailed, his voice and breathing training, plus the major phases in his career.

The theatre, he (Grotowski) believes, cannot be an end in itself […] the theatre is a vehicle, a means for self-study, self-exploration, a possibility of salvation. The actor has himself as his field of work. […] Seen this way, acting is a life’s work – the actor is step-by-step extending his knowledge of himself through the painful, ever-changing circumstances of rehearsal and the tremendous punctuation points of performance. […] Grotowski makes poverty an ideal; his actors have given up everything except their own bodies; they have the human instrument and limitless time – no wonder they feel the richest theatre in the world.

peter brook

the empty space

Academic journal article exploring Grotowski’s evolving influence in Poland to this day.

Academic paper which includes a chapter outlining the similarities and differences between the work of Jerzy Grotowski and that of Antonin Artaud.

Lesson Plans

Introduction to Grotowski includes a series of actor exercises using his techniques on movement, physical actions and plastiques.

Article with tips on how to bring Grotowski into your drama lessons – includes exercises.

Useful PowerPoint presentations on Grotowski’s principles.

https://youtu.be/hI9t86hDNC0

Grotowski’s influence evident in other theatre.

Productions

Theatre review of Grotowski’s productions Akropolis and Apocalypsis cum Figuris during his Polish Laboratory Theatre’s visit to New York City in 1969. The audience was limited to just 40 people.

Grotowski’s final work Apocalypsis cum Figuris. Rehearsals ran for more than a year.

The New York Times review of Grotowski’s The Constant Prince, October 1969.

Time Magazine’s theatre review of the 1969 production of Grotowski’s The Constant Prince in New York City.

Grotowski called his a “poor theatre” because he sought to eliminate the technological aids used by most groups and to concentrate on the two elements he considered indispensable: the actor and the audience. For his productions he used a space that could be rearranged to meet the specific needs of each production; he used no elaborate lighting effects; he forbade makeup and reduced costumes to the purely functional; he permitted no actor to change costume to indicate a change in role, status, or psychological condition; his properties were minimal and were chosen for their adaptability for many purposes; he used no scenery in the traditional sense; his actors produced all music themselves, either by beating out rhythms, by vocal sound, or by playing musical instruments.

oscar g. brockett

the theatre: an introduction

Grotowski’s adaptation of Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. Notice the seating arrangement.

Key Reference Texts

Grotowski, J, Towards a Poor Theatre (includes exercises).
Schechner, R, The Grotowski Sourcebook.
Slowiak, J, and Cuesta, J, Jerzy Grotowski – Routledge Performance Practitioners (includes exercises).
Allain, P (Ed.), Grotowski’s Empty Room.
Cynkutis, Z, Acting with Grotowski.
Richards, T., At Work with Grotowski on Physical Actions.
Mitter, S, Systems of Rehearsal: Stanislavsky, Brecht, Grotowski and Brook.