Towards a Poor Theatre: Amazon.co.uk: Jerzy Grotowski, Peter Brook: Books

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I am a bit impatient when asked, "What is the origin of your experimental theatre productions?" Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Common sense and mysticism, 18 Sep 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Towards a Poor Theatre (Theatre Arts (Routledge Paperback)) (Paperback)

Grotowski's book encapsulates his thought and techniques based on years of interrogating the fundamental building blocks of theatre. His method (which can not be called a coherent system)is a stripping away of obstacles and artifices rather than an accumulation of techniques or 'tricks'. A puritian and evangelist, his teachings often smack of piety and a religious zeal. However, he claims to be preaching from a secular (anti-Catholic) standpoint. Theatre for Grotowski is what happens between the performer and the spectator. He jettisons scenic design, lighting and artifice therefore, and interrogates physical actions. His exercises have close associations with Asana Yoga whereby spiritual depths are accessed via physcial discipline. An inspiring, and as Peter Brook says in his foreward, provocative book. Eager students or artists looking for quick fix answers, gimmicks or techniques they can steal will be unfulfilled. Not since Stanislavski has anyone interrogated the art of acting and attempted to formulate a concordance of helpful observations in such depth and detail. The legacy of Grotowski has influenced our best present directors; from Peter Brook, Richard Wilson, Robert Le Page, Karma Ginkas and Yoshi Oida to name a few.

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Amazon.com: 4.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, 17 Oct 2001

By J. F. Rick "bricoleur, hobbit" - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Towards a Poor Theatre (Eyre Methuen Drama Books) (Performance Books) (Paperback)

There is no better book that I have read on the theory and practice of theatre. As Peter Brook says in the preface, "Grotowski is unique. Why? Because no-one else in the world, to my knowledge, no-one since Stanislavsky, has investigated the nature of acting, its phenomenon, its meaning, the nature and science of its mental-physical-emotional processes as deeply and completely as Grotowski."

Grotowski argues effectively that the split of the stage and the screen necessitates that the stage redefine its focus. The screen with its higher budget and countless retakes will always beat the stage in richness. So, Grotowski posits "If it [the stage] cannot be richer than the cinema, then let it be poor." The rest of the book illustrates what such a poor theatre means in practice. Brilliant.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beauty in Poverty and Performance, 8 Jan 2003

By Kevin L. Nenstiel "omnivore" - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Towards a Poor Theatre (Theatre Arts (Routledge Paperback)) (Paperback)

Comprehending this book is no small feat. Sure, you start with the premise that competing with the technical spectacle of movies and TV is a fruitless pursuit. That's not difficult. Neither is the idea of embracing poverty in theatre and making the human being the only center of performance. That's dead easy. Spare costumes, little or no makeup, no sound effects, as few light effects as possible. Who can argue with that?

But this doesn't mean everybody can embrace Grotowski's vision of Poor Theatre. His is one that involves stripping away all preconceived notions of theatre from the early Modern period on. This will never fly in commercial theatre, dependent as it is on technology, nor will it satisfy many recent playwrights, who depend on technical do-funnies to make their shows work.

Grotowski also takes a funny view of plays, playwrights, and theoreticians who don't agree with him. Among other things, he considers playwrights as hired talent and plays as essentially malleable. He also suggests that the only way the writings of Artaud are useful in theatre is if they are taken elementally rather than globally - a position sure not to sit well with many avant-garde directors.

Because this book isn't a straight-ahead statement of principles, ideas, and practices, it yields its secrets only with difficulty. Parts of it aren't even written by Grotowski, but are interviews by other authors, or even observations that don't include quotes from the man himself. It was basically compiled to provide an overview of the ideas and products of the Polish Laboratory Theatre up to that time, and it encourages experiment and development by the reader.

This isn't to say that it isn't actually useful. There are exercises for actors; there are statements of theory for directors; there are even sketches, diagrams, and photos for designers. However, expect to wrestle with this book if you're going to unlock its secrets. Once you elect to start down this path, you have a long row to hoe

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is a crime this book is out of print., 21 Nov 2001

By Damon Navas-Howard - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Towards a Poor Theatre (Hardcover)

"Towards A Poor Theatre" by Jerzy Grotowski is probably the most important book written on acting since Stainslavsky's three famous character books. There is so little known about Grotowski and many people have tried to fake his work and people need to read the man's original words. Grotowski's vision of theatre has had the greatest effect on me more than any other person in theatre. He saw acting as a Holy experience where both the actor and spectator were transformed after the performance. Grotowski expanded from where Stainslavsky left off and drew his ideas everywhere from modern art to religious rituals to primitive theatre. Any one interested in theatre must read this book somehow and be changed forever like I have.

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