The Theatre Laboratory

This is Polish theatre producer Jerzy Grotowski's school of theatre which aims for a "poor theatre" to differentiate itself from film and television. It has minimal props, costumes, make-up, lighting, and scenery, just enough to communicate essential meanings. The chief focus of the Theatre Laboratory is the actor, and the communication between actor and spectator. Because of the importance of this communication, the barrier between actor and spectator is constantly challenged.

Actor's Trance

Ideally, the actor in Grotowski's theory is able to enter a trance-like state, where inner impulse and outer reaction are identical and unmediated. The actor does not have to think to react.

Akropolis

Akropolis is one of the plays put on by the Theatre Laboratory. It radically reconfigures Wyspianski's original play into a pessimistic look at inmates in an extermination camp circa World War II. Grotowski's key theoretical tenets are honored: very...