Grotowski and Company

This collection by Ludwik Flaszen gathers together key texts, nearly all of which have never before been published in English. These include lectures, papers on issues such as actor training, as well as programme and explanatory texts on all the Laboratorium's performances (including Cain, Shakuntala, Dziady, Kordian, Akropolis, The Tragical History of Dr Faustus, The Constant Prince and Apocalypsis cum figuris). It provides insight into the concepts behind the practice of one of the twentieth-century theatre's leading lights, and introduces the cultural, literary and historical dimensions of his work. The texts open up understanding for English-lnaguage students, academics and practitioners of the social and political constraints affecting Grotowski's working life, as well as particular difficult and controlled circumstances in which Polish theatre artists operated, even whilst their theatre was seen to represent the pinnacle of theatrical achievement in the world. The book rangers across reflective papers, programme notes, polemical pieces, interviews, as well as critical reviews. Historically, it focuses mainly on the production period of Grotowski's work (1959-1969), but also includes texts from other phases such as paratheatre (1969-1976), as well as most recent pieces, including several written especially for the book. It comprises over thirty texts, as well as Allain's introduction and a short tribute by Eugenio Barba.