Grotows

i
Poor Theatre
By Candice, Chelsea and Shannon
Two Thousand and Fifteen

Jerzy
Grotowski

Jerzy Grotowski was a Polish theatre practitioner born in 1933

In 1955, Grotowski graduated from the High Theatrical School in
Krakw - with a degree in acting
In 1965, he he established a theatre company, Laboratorium, which
was influenced highly by his personality and ideals
In 1968 he wrote Towards a Poor Theatre where he declared that:
theatre should not compete against the overwhelming spectacle of
film and should instead focus on the very root of the act of theatre:
actors in front of spectators
He believed that the main concern of theatre was the actor and
his/her relationship between the audience, rather that set, costume,
lighting and special effects
Grotowski succeeded in this new found style of theatre. He
continued to maintain the Theatre, not competing with films but
merely displaying an alternative experience.
Grotowski died on the 14th of January 1999 and his Theatre style
lives on today

What is Poor
Theatre?

Poor theatre is defined as by Grotowski, getting rid

of the excesses of theatre, such as big costumes
and detailed sets. (Hence, poor theatre)
Poor theatre focuses more on the skills of an actor
and therefore performances are only done with a
handful of props.
Poor theatre can be performed in any bare space,
and is a preferred style of theatre for schools with
very low budgets.
Acting in the style of Poor theatre emphasises on
the physical skills of a performer and ability to
transform an prop in to any other object, sometimes
used to create something of great significance.

Conventions of Poor
Theatre
Voice - Grotowski believed vocal training was essential. Actors focused
their voices as though they were coming from different parts of their
bodies. Grotowski emphasised clarity and used techniques such as
singing, chanting and reciting poetry. All actors were so vocally strong that
they were able to recite sounds of the world such as mechanics, animals,
thunder and so on.
Physical Training This is the basis of Grotowskis system. Actors had
to learn physical skills which allowed them to control every move they
made even the smallest, in every detail. Grotowski believed it was out
bodies that expressed us. He gave actors physical skills so they could
fully express their imaginations and their personalities. (EXERCISE)

Conventions of Poor
Theatre
Evoking silence - Grotowski stated that an actor must begin by doing
nothing! He believed that if a group of actors could remain completely
still for several minutes without disturbances, then they would be able to
concentrate more intensely and use it as a creative passage.
Transformation - In 'poor theatre' Grotowski always aimed for the
simplest possible use of staging, lighting, costumes and special effects.
This forced actors to use all their skills to transform empty spaces and
simple objects into a whole range of imaginative worlds. Symbolism was
essential in this form of theatre. (EXERCISE)

Conventions of Poor
Theatre
Memory - Grotowski emphasised the use of emotion memory to recall
an experience and recreate the feeling that went with that memory. He
demanded total honesty and total commitment from his actors in their
use of emotion memory. This made their performances genuine.
Truth - Grotowski warned his actors to avoid what he called 'the
beautiful lie, both on stage and in their everyday lives. By this he
meant doing something just because it looked good or because it was
what people expected them to do. (EXERCISE)

Actor-Audience
Relationship
The actor-audience relationship is a main
element of Poor Theatre.
Grotowski aimed to eliminate the division
between the actor(s) and the audience.
He did this by breaking the fourth wall

World Theatre

Both Poor Theatre and World Theatre go under the same category of theatre of
transformation.
Theatre of transformation was developed in Western drama in the 20th century originally
by Grotowski through poor theatre, and later by Peter Brook with world theatre.
World theatre is similar to poor theatre and aims to integrate different texts, styles and
actors to create one universal style of theatre that can be used world wide (hence the
term world theatre).
Theatre of transformation involves the idea of not only transforming the set, but
transforming the actor into the context of the play and using transformation of objects.
Actors were told to transform themselves and the acting space into the world of the play.
They were told to not only represent the character, but the entire context of the play.
Actors may be required to transform into multiple characters and parts of the set on the
stage.

Bibliograph
y

Cash, J. (2014). Poor Theatre Conventions. The Drama Teacher. [Accessed 3 Feb. 2015].
<http://www.thedramateacher.com/poor-theatre-conventions/>
Grotowskis System 2001, Living Drama, Pearson Education Australia, 3rd edn., pg.56-63,
Melbourne.
Jbactors.com, (2015). Master Acting Teacher Biographies: Jerzy Grotowski. [Accessed 3
Feb. 2015]. <
http://www.jbactors.com/actingreading/actingteacherbiographies/jerzygrotowski.html>
Jerzy Grotowski: Poor Theatre 2011, Living Drama, Pearson Education Australia, 4th edn.,
pg.194-197, Melbourne.
Poor Theatre (2014). Prezi. [Accessed 4 Feb. 2015]. <
https://prezi.com/cypr97ziadvm/poor-theatre/>
Quizlet.com, (2015). Jerzy Grotowski - Poor Theatre. [Accessed 3 Feb. 2015]. <
http://quizlet.com/13274229/jerzy-grotowski-poor-theatre-flash-cards/>
Theatre of Transformation 2001, Living Drama, Pearson Education Australia, 3rd edn.,
pg.248-256, Melbourne.