Jerzy Grotowski

Jerzy Grotowski was born in the city of Rzeszów in southeastern Poland. His father, Marion, was a painter and sculptor and his mother, Emilia, was a teacher. When World War Two broke out, Grotowski was 6 and he moved to the village of Nienadówka with his mother and brother for the duration of the war. As a teenager, he spent a year in hospital with ill-health and moved to Krakow with his family after he was discharged. He emigrated to the USA in 1982 but returned to Europe three years later and purchased a property in Pontedera, Italy. Grotowski never married and died in Pontedera in 1999 after suffering from leukemia and a heart condition.

Key Dates & Events

• 1955 - Grotowski studies directing at the Lunacharsky Institute of Theatre Arts.
• 1957 - Grotowski makes his directing debut in 1957 at the Stary Theatre in Kraków.
• 1959 - Grotowski becomes artistic director at the Teatr 13 Rzędów, Opole.
• 1962 - Grotowski visits China and becomes fascinated by the origins of Chinese opera.
• 1965 - Grotowski moves his troupe to Wroclaw, where he establishes a new Laboratory Theatre.
• 1966 - Peter Brook invites Grotowski to the Royal Shakespeare Company to train his actors.
• 1968 - Grotowski co-writes Towards a Poor Theatre with Ludwik Flaszen.
• 1969 - Grotowski’s company is invited by the Brooklyn Academy of Music to perform in Greenwich Village, New York.
• 1982 - Grotowski emigrates to America, but returns to Europe three years later.
• 1983 - Grotowski begins working at the University of California.
• 1985 - Grotowski establishes The Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski - Centro di Lavoro di Jerzy Grotowski.