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British Grotowski Project

The British Grotowski Project’s research imperative was to re-evaluate the work of Polish director Jerzy Grotowski and his influence on British theatre especially, through archival research, interviews and practical laboratory workshops. Curated by PI Paul Allain, it was supported by a substantial AHRC Research Grant as well as other smaller grants, including an award from the Polish government. The research enabled a more embodied understanding of Grotowski’s work and challenged assumptions regarding:

• the way his work is normally partitioned in phases

• his contribution to British physical theatre

• his approach to voice and text, highlighting his significant exploration of text and dramaturgy

• his directorial ethos, which was in fact highly collaborative.

Project outcomes within the REF period include:

• Three volumes edited and translated by Allain with native speakers: Peter Brook, Theatre is Just a Form [2009]; Ludwik Flaszen, Grotowski and Company [2011]; and Voices from Within [2013]; and one volume sole-edited by Allain, Grotowski’s Empty Room [2009].

• The project enabled research assistant, Dr Giuliano Campo, to produce a book with DVD for Routledge, Zygmunt Molik’s Voice and Body Work, which has an introductory filmed commentary by Allain.

• Co-curation of a 2009 UK touring exhibition: Jerzy Grotowski: Theatre and Beyond, with commissioned audiovisual materials, props and a scaled-down set of The Constant Prince.

• 1 article, 'The British Grotowski Project,' in Theatre in Poland [2008]; and 2 chapters: ‘The British Grotowski’ in L’ Anthropologie Theatrale selon Jerzy Grotowski; and ‘Piotr Borowski and Poland’s Studium Teatralne: Where Process becomes Performance’ in Contemporary European Theatre Directors.

• The 2009 International British Grotowski conference, archived by Arts Archives: http://spa.exeter.ac.uk/drama/research/exeterdigitalarchives/media_listcatalogue.php?type=120

• Practice-based meetings between academics and practitioners, including Grotowski’s direct collaborators Zygmunt Molik and Rena Mirecka. All were documented on video and are available in Kent’s Templeman Library.

• The project has a dedicated website - www.britishgrotowski.co.uk - which published some original archival materials including posters, photographs, and programmes alongside workshop event information.

Curated by Allain, the British Grotowski Project had extended scale and scope, drawing on Polish, French and Italian materials and on practice-based workshops. It was supported by an AHRC Research Grant (2006-9) and other smaller grants, including an award from the Polish government. In addition to 8 textual and multi-media publications, the project team (Allain, Campo as Research Assistant and PhD student Pakula) produced 2 exhibitions (one curated by Allain, the other by Campo and Allain), 3 screenings, 1 conference, and 7 workshops. The single unifying research aim was to reevaluate Grotowski’s oeuvre and bring new materials and perspectives into the public domain.