THIS PROJECT HAS NOW FINISHED BUT WE WILL BE MAINTAINING THE WEBSITE FOR THE MEANTIME AS A USEFUL ARCHIVE OF ITS ACTIVITIES AND OUTCOMES

The British Grotowski Project – a re-evaluation’ has received significant financial support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The project, under the direction of Professor Paul Allain, will be run with the assistance of the Grotowski Institute in Wroclaw (Poland) as well as other overseas partners.

Polish director Jerzy Grotowski's contribution to world theatre is widely acknowledged. He has a central position in Britain in theatre studies and a still vital influence on theatre-making, especially devising and actor training in what is loosely termed Physical Theatre. However, teachers, students, academics and practitioners interested in this work both theoretically and practically, struggle with a lack of precise knowledge and access to primary sources, key texts, and good translations of his main treatises, as well as clearly articulated and accessible documents of and reflections on his practices. There is also no systematic analysis of his influence on British theatre-making and university drama studies since 1965 and his initial work with Peter Brook at the RSC. This project, running from October 2006 to October 2009, will address these knowledge gaps through creating:

• a Critical Edition with an accompanying DVD of images, film and audio extracts.
• online materials that will reveal the range of influences Grotowski has had on artists, teachers, and producers in Britain, whilst providing access to and information about useful Grotowski-related resources
• a multi-modal international conference for practitioners and academics in 2009, the 'Year of Grotowski' (marking the 10th anniversary of his death).
  

Contacts:
Project Director: Prof. Paul Allain (01227 823338)
Research Associate: Dr Giuliano Campo (01227 824918)
AHRC PhD student: Pablo Pakula

Documentary Film of Grotowski at Odin Teatret, Holstebro, 1971

Major Italian newspaper "La Repubblica" on the Grotowski Year, with a video and interview by Peter Brook in English

There are still places available for Rena Mirecka's worksession The Way 16-20 June more

For information on Paul's short article on 2009 activities in Theatre in Poland go here For the full text go to Texts.

Call for papers and participants
University of Kent (Canterbury, UK) June 2009
‘By initiation or by theft’ - a group panel -
and
'Grotowski: After – Alongside – Around – Ahead' - a daylong symposium

2009 is the UNESCO-designated ‘Year of Grotowski’ commemorating the 10th anniversary of Jerzy Grotowski’s death, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Teatr Laboratorium’s foundation, and recognising Grotowski’s enduring influence upon theatre and performance practice.
Between 11th and 14th June 2009 The British Grotowski Project will host the international conference Jerzy Grotowski: Theatre and Beyond at the University of Kent (Canterbury, UK). More
In relation to this we are currently seeking expressions of interest from postgraduate students, and emerging scholars and practitioners to participate in two events. More

News Archive
Back

PHOTOS FROM THE CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION here

British Grotowski Conference 2009:

'Grotowski: Theatre and Beyond' More


Postgraduate/Practitioners' Open Symposium (pdf)- here

Grotowski: After - Alongside - Around - Ahead
(a free symposium, 14th - 15th June 2009) more (pdf)

Poster (below right) designed by Krzysztof Bednarski, who designed several of Grotowski's paratheatre posters, some of which are included on this our own poster. Click on both posters to see large versions (pdf)

We are delighted to announce the publication of Thomas Richards'new book "Heart of Practice - Within the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards". More details

We are pleased to receive a grant of up to £2,670 by the Art Council England (South East) towards the visit to Canterbury in May 2008 of the Milon Mela Company from India.

We are pleased to have been offered £ 8,000 over two years towards translation and exhibition costs from the Institute of Adam Mickiewicz, Poland. http://www.iam.pl/en/site/

We are delighted to announce that Jennifer Kumiega's Theatre of Grotowski is at last once again available as print on demand.

Instytut Ksziazki has kindly given us 9000 zloties towards translations from Polish for a book Richard Schechner has commissioned Paul to do for his Seagull Press Enactments series, of writings on Grotowski