What does Jerzy Grotowski say about poor theatre?

What does Jerzy Grotowski say about poor theatre?

Summary : The Polish director Jerzy Grotowski defines his theory of “poor theatre”: the Theatre that values the body of the actor and its relation with the spectator and does away with costumes, decor and music. The interview is punctuated with extracts from a rehearsal of the show Evangile.

Why did Grotowski use the term poor theatre?

Poor Theatre can be performed in any bare space, so school drama departments with few resources often find this style of theatre attractive. Grotowski coined the term ‘poor theatre’, defining a performance style that rid itself of the excesses of theatre, such as lavish costumes and detailed sets (hence ‘poor’).

How did Grotowski develop poor theatre?

He invented the term ‘Poor Theatre’: a style of performance that got rid of all extraneous parts of theatre. This meant there were no lavish costumes, complicated props or detailed sets. Relied on skill of actors and required only a few props. Grotowski enjoyed working in unconventional spaces.

What is the Grotowski method?

Grotowski students are trained to use their bodies and voices so that the entirety of a text can be relayed using just movements and nonverbal sounds. The technique prioritizes physical and mental health—for the performer’s well-being, but also the sake of the performance.

What was the aim of poor theatre?

The poor theatre: using the smallest amount of fixed elements to obtain maximum results by means of the magical transformation of objects, through the props’ multifunctional ‘acting’. To create complete worlds using only the things to hand.

What did poor theatre influence?

Jerzy Grotowski’s poor theatre is an experimental concept which influences performers to go back to theatrical roots using the voice and body as the main production. Just like many avant-garde artists he strived to pull away from the regular theatre conventions through other influences.

What techniques did Grotowski use?

In his method, Grotowski experienced the so-called “physiological resonators”. He asked the actors to bring out the voice from their back and their necks and from their limbs. Then, in order to stimulate the voice, he asked them to choose a text and to play, sing and shout it (Richards, 1995).

How did Grotowski train his actors?

Who influenced Grotowski?

PC: What were his early influences? PA: There are lots of routes into Grotowski’s work. One is his connection with Stanislavski. In 1955, he was studying at GITIS in Moscow, one of the main Russian drama schools.

How did Grotowski change acting?

Out of Grotowski’s practices, he devised what he called “poor theater,” which approaches a production by first eliminating all the parts of theater that can be considered “extraneous.” Poor theater entails little to no costuming, props, or elaborate sets. Instead, Grotowski relies on the abilities of the actors.

What do you think about Grotowski’s poor theatre?

While Grotowski’s Poor Theatre may seem dated now it was revolutionary stuff at the time. A good read Grotowski’s vision was of a bare bones theater – little in the way of costume, set, makeup or lighting – everything coming from the actor, with a great deal of participation from and interaction with the audience.

Is towards a poor theatre worth the read?

But Towards a Poor Theatre is really just a collection of essays and interviews and program notes which feel more like heady discussions of philosophy than an accessible how-to book for actors. There is definitely some useful material hiding in there.

What does Grotowski mean by the term contemporary?

To Grotowski, contemporary means the second half of the twentieth century. Hence his experience is infinitely more cruel than Wyspianski’s and the century-old values of European culture are put to a severe test.

What conclusion can be drawn from the poem’towards a poor theatre’?

TOWARDS A POOR THEATRE sort of poem about the actor, and no practical conclusions can be drawn from his explanations.