Gro--What?

For a while now I've been researching the work of Jerzy Grotowski for a theorist report to be presented in class. In investigating Grtowski's background, I learned that many early influences played an integral role in the development of his theory. Growing up in Rzeszow, Poland, during the reign of the Nazi regime, Grotowski's family was forced to split up as World War II began. Upon his separation from his father, Grtowski was consequently fostered under the religious care of his uncle. This eventually contributed to Grotowski's spiritual quest in theater, often seen as a confrontation between man and mythology. Although research has mentioned that Grotowski was strongly influenced by Stanislavsky (but really what theorist hasn't), I was not able to form a connection between the two. Perhaps it is in the way that they both stressed the importance of the total act and technique in an actor's performance. By developing his troupe of actors through rehearsals and additional psychoanalysis sessions, Grotowski trained and produced some of the best technical actors of the time.

The total act was only one facet of Grotowski's entire theory though. Much of what he attempted to accomplish in theater was in response to the extravagant and lavish styling of directors at the time. As a director himself, Grotowski often staged productions as minimally as possible. Performances were rarely utilized, and in their stead actors were conditioned to rely upon their own bodies to function as tools. This Grotowskian theory was essentially embodied in a production of 13 Reasons Not To Be in a Play which was performed at my school as the independent project of an IB student. What made the performance really stand out from any others was the fact that actors functioned both as themselves and as props whenever the time became necessary. Another facet of this poor theater concept was that props could transform and come to symbolize many different things. Interpretation was left to the audience and actors when it came time to performance.

From researching and witnessing Grotowski's theory at work, I have really come to appreciate his entire mindset. As a performer of the theater myself, I believe that many of Grotowski's beliefs could be practiced today in helping people to better connect with their characters, physically and mentally. Especially as student actors, we often do not have the capacity to analyze and understand the characters we portray. Just spending a fifth of the time that Grotowski did with his actors in developing their technique would be infinitely beneficial to actors today. Most of all, I'm really just in awe of the individual and modern thinking that Grotowski possessed during the 1930's and 1940's. Simply looking at his work would lead a person to believe that Grotowski is still with us today in this time of innovation and creativity.