Who Was Jerzy Grotowski?

Jerzy Grotowski is a Polish theatre director (1933-1999), he was a leading exponent of experimental theatre and known throughout the world for his work.

Grotowski trained as an actor in Krakow before training as a director in Moscow, where he experienced the full range of training available.

His work treats the script as simply a starting point, a theme on which to build and doesn't treat the script a holy as many and most directors would. This is not disrespectful to the text, it is a particular technique.

Grotowski worked to develop something called Poor Theatre, which involved a stripping away of all that was extraneous in the actor, leaving them more vulnerable and more 'available' by this vulnerable state. Grotowski published and received a great many awards and much acclaim.

In 1983, Grotowski moved to California and made the University of California-Irvine his base for theatrical experimentation.

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I have only one thing to add to epictetus' succinct bio: Grotowski figures in a story recounted by the director Andre Gregory in a talky but enjoyable movie called MY DINNER WITH ANDRE.

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