Theatre in Rough Economic Times: What Do You Need?

Jerzy Grotowski (1933-1999), a Polish theatre director and innovator, had an interesting take on what theatre really needs, a view that in these times, might be worth revisiting. In the most basic of terms, Grotowski believed that the only things necessary for true theatre to exist were an actor and an audience; someone to tell a story and someone to tell a story to. His book Towards a Poor Theatre details the three main goals of poor theatre:

1. To rediscover the connection between actor and audience

2. To return to ritual and the role of myth

3. To focus on the actor as a sign

Trained in the system of Konstantin Stanislavski, Grotowski’s methods have a similar basis, yet a distinct simplicity toward characterization. Grotowski taught a principle known as Via Negativa: the way to nothingness. In order to become another character, you must first drain completely who you are as an actor. An actor must sacrifice his body to the character.

One of his most popular exercises is called Plastique Rivers. Simply begin from alignment and start with an isolated impulse of a body part and let it flow. One impulse will lead to another impulse, and eventually different movements and images will develop and emerge. Grotowski also believed that actors are hindered by their psychological blocks and must do whatever they can to overcome them. An extremely effective way to overcome your personal mannerisms as an actor and create a physical body for your character is by creating what Grotowski called a grotesque. Imagine each part of your character’s body as an inanimate object and draw it for reference. Then, physically portray your grotesque and move as that body would move. The grotesque will almost certainly be too intense for the purpose of the character. At this point, the veiling process begins. One or two of the inanimate objects will emerge as the most important aspects of the character’s body. As you bring down the intensity of the grotesque, keep those few aspects in the physical body of the character. After veiling it several times, you will then have a body specific to your character and completely unlike yourself. For example, below is a grotesque created for a very twisted and broken character, Roberta, from John Patrick Shanley’s Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.

Jerzy Grotowski’s method is all about soul searching. He frequently had actos ask themselves questions similar to:

Why am I here?

What is my acting process?

What have I done so far?

What do I want?

What questions or dificulties do I have?

What blocks do I possess?

What is my will?

What drives me through life?

Many theatrical productions of the day focus on the spectacle provided by expensive technological innovations. Though to some it will feel like regressing, perhaps the economic strain put on the arts in this economy is a good excuse to reevaluate what really matters in theatre. Grotowski had it right: all you need is an actor, an audience, and a story. The rest is extra.

Based loosely on a lecture given by director, dramaturg, filmmaker, and SAG and Equity actor George Contini. For more information see http://www.amazon.com/Towards-Poor-Theatre-Routledge-Paperback/dp/0878301550