The ‘student’ productions of ‘The Theatre of Thirteen Rows’
Introduction
Jerzy Grotowski (August 11, 1933 - January 14, 1999) was a Polish theatre director and a leading figure of theatrical avant garde of the 20th century (Kumiega 1987: 4). In his lifespan of living up to the age of 66, he left behind a great foundation for modern theatre to build on. Grotowski was a revolutionary in theatre because he caused a rethink of what theatre actually was and its purpose in contemporary culture. His artistic journey lasted for more than 40 years and had five distinct phases named by Grotowski himself: “Theatre of Productions, Theatre of Participation, Theatre of Sources, Objective Drama, and Art as Vehicle” (Slowaik & Cuesta 2007: 11). In this essay the fundamental focus would be based on the well-known Theatre of Production phase were Grotowski established “The Theatre of Thirteen Rows”. The two ‘student’ productions of “The Theatre of Thirteen Rows”, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus & Mystery Bouffe, will also be evaluated in this essay.
Theatre of Production & “The Theatre of Thirteen Rows”
The Theatre of Production phase stretched over a period of 10 years (from 1959 until 1969). In this period Grotowski developed the principles of acting, performance, and training. One of the clearest and most influential results of Grotowski’s research was the “continuous modification of the spatial relations between actors and spectators, among the spectators, and between the actors themselves” (Kumiega 1987: 4). This is represented by examples from one of his ‘student’ productions of “The Theatre of Thirteen Rows”: The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.
“The Theatre of Thirteen Rows” was established in 1959 by Jerzy Grotowski and Ludwig Flaszen, a very well-known literary and theatre theatre critic, in Opole – a small provincial town of 50 000 residents (Kumiega 1987: 4). The theatre occupied a “low-ceilinged room” with a small proscenium stage and “thirteen rows of seats” (Slowaik & Cuesta 2007: 11). This small
Jerzy Grotowski (August 11, 1933 - January 14, 1999) was a Polish theatre director and a leading figure of theatrical avant garde of the 20th century (Kumiega 1987: 4). In his lifespan of living up to the age of 66, he left behind a great foundation for modern theatre to build on. Grotowski was a revolutionary in theatre because he caused a rethink of what theatre actually was and its purpose in contemporary culture. His artistic journey lasted for more than 40 years and had five distinct phases named by Grotowski himself: “Theatre of Productions, Theatre of Participation, Theatre of Sources, Objective Drama, and Art as Vehicle” (Slowaik & Cuesta 2007: 11). In this essay the fundamental focus would be based on the well-known Theatre of Production phase were Grotowski established “The Theatre of Thirteen Rows”. The two ‘student’ productions of “The Theatre of Thirteen Rows”, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus & Mystery Bouffe, will also be evaluated in this essay.
Theatre of Production & “The Theatre of Thirteen Rows”
The Theatre of Production phase stretched over a period of 10 years (from 1959 until 1969). In this period Grotowski developed the principles of acting, performance, and training. One of the clearest and most influential results of Grotowski’s research was the “continuous modification of the spatial relations between actors and spectators, among the spectators, and between the actors themselves” (Kumiega 1987: 4). This is represented by examples from one of his ‘student’ productions of “The Theatre of Thirteen Rows”: The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.
“The Theatre of Thirteen Rows” was established in 1959 by Jerzy Grotowski and Ludwig Flaszen, a very well-known literary and theatre theatre critic, in Opole – a small provincial town of 50 000 residents (Kumiega 1987: 4). The theatre occupied a “low-ceilinged room” with a small proscenium stage and “thirteen rows of seats” (Slowaik & Cuesta 2007: 11). This small