DOCSLIB.ORG

Along with Peter Brook and Jerzy Grotowski, Joseph Chaikin Is One of the Main Forces in the Last Two Decades Showing Us Who the Actor Is

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Along with Peter Brook and Jerzy Grotowski, Joseph Chaikin Is One of the Main Forces in the Last Two Decades Showing Us Who the Actor Is Along with Peter Brook and Jerzy Grotowski, Joseph Chaikin is one of the main forces in the last two decades showing us who the actor is. For several dozen years plus Joe's devotion to excellence has challenged us. Theatre artists around the world recognize his tremendous contribution to the growth of the idea of a purposeful theatre. His vision of theatre is not restricted to linear plot and psychological naturalism. He has tuagh1 us the importance of association and counterpoint. He has shown us that the visual image is at least as important as the spoken word. Joe's idea of theatre is a'blend of the pers onal, poli tical and metaphysical. Sam Shepard says that Joe is the main force in American Theatre. The Stanislavski viewpoint about acting · encourages the actor to merge his personality with the character. Through Joe's work we can now know that who the person is on. stage is also part of the theatre process, and that person must not be lost. Joe Chaikin began his career in the early 60's by heading to New York to be discovered so he could make movies and become famous and rich. Not long after he was in the B.i&Jppel, however, he began work with The Living Theatre, and thos~:amoltions did not prevail. In 1963, he started the Open Theatre, a loosely knit group of artists who experiment• with voic.e, mov~emen t, and the relationships between performers and spectators. Then ·in 1973 . the Open Theatre separated, and Joe r..eturnoclcnd·i~<J.,.t-< t-e- actir::f and directing, and star ted The Winter Project. Every year, this group of artists got together for a few months to develop new projects. A few years ago, Joe suffered a stroke during open heart surgery which l~ft him with impaired communicative skill's. He has since recovered and ha·s performed and taught in many places. Most recently he performed in Poland at a miftor intern~tional theatr~ festival, and in London where he performed the same pieces he wili perform in Atlanta: . "The War ~n Heaven" which he co-authored with his collaborator Sam Shepard, and selected monologues . f.rom Ted Hughes' adaptation of Seneca's Oedipus. Today Joe will read from his acceptance speech when he received the Edwin Booth Award from NYU this past May. This award is given occasionally outstanding American theatre artists by the faculty and PhD students at NY U arid it is indeed a disctinction that Joe is a recipient. I recently saw . the video tape of the event which comprised this award ceremony during · which many well known artists and writers spoke about Joe's contribution to American Theatre. Even as a poorly done, one camera document, this tape is truly remarkable in summarizing one who is so clearly acknowledged as our country's greatest theatre artist. I asked Joe to read it . today to this group as a means of making a brief contact with the theatre community in Atlant~. There is no plan for an open ended discussion or questions and answers following Joe's presentation, but I hope his .comments will encourage us all to continue to talk more about our work. Joe ·. performs at 7 Stages, acornpanied by Steve Kent, this Friday thr:ough Sunday at 8:00. Tickets are $10.50. Seats a,re still available. - Transcrip t o f Joseph Ch a i kin 's speech at the p res enta tion of THA~K YOU. the Edwin Booth A\vard from CUNY May 4, 1987 : CA~NOT SPSAK WELL, BUT THANK YOU, FROM M! HEART, ?OR COMING, ~ND FOR MAKING TOD~Y A CELEBRATION. THIS WEEK IT'S THREE YEARS SINCE MY STROKE. THREE YEARS SINCE MY APHASIA, ~~REE YEARS 3I~CE I RS~EWED ~Y . GAREER I~ ~HEA7ER. ~IGHT AF':'ER ~y STROKE I COULD SAY ONLY ONE REAL ~ORD. :mL Y "YES .n · ·v~ ::: ,, . -~ . ..~HE~l I. '~A:l!ED TO SAY "I LOVE '[-JU.' OR "T iiA':'E YOU,'' I COULD ONLY SAY ''YES." 1 COULD NOT UNDERSTAND OTHER PEOPLE S~EA K I~G. r ~~L~ A~GU~SH~ TERROR, ..-\ND ~OURNING~ . I THOUGHT I WAS BLlND A~D DEAF, REALLY. I WAS ' TR£~1BLING. I WAS LIKE CASPAR HAUSER COMING INTO THE WORLD. IT WAS APHASIA. AT FIRST IT WAS TERRIBLE PAIN. EVERYTHING WAS BATTLING IN MY BODY AND MIND. I,WAS ~TAGGERING, LITERALLY. I · COULDN .. 'll. WALK . BEFORE ;.tY STROKE. : WAS ?RE;F'A R I~~G :'0 p:._;.. :· :::::: r; LE.\R AT 7HE ?UBLIC THEATER. ~OW I WAS MYSELF -- ON THE HEATH . .i.::D '•iHE:l I HAD '!'HE 2:Ni::RGY, I CJRSED. - "..i AS 'IERY T::!:::\ED · 7HZ ?!:::.s: >10NTHS -- -. ~ ' "' TP _.........,"" ..., - I • • ..J L-...., •\.- ... .. :. ~AS ?ASSION ATELY .I:ITERES:'I:~G TO :·1E .'-.LSO . -··-·:a.--·"'.., '!.!::. ' ,_ ":"., ' .~L.3\J . - ?EEL PASSIONA!~LY TOWARD THE:ATE~. T ~AS BORN IN THEATER. THEATZ~ :'0 !! E, I7' S LI?E. •, JHEN I HAD ~~ · EARLY PHYSICAL CRISIS, . T . W.AS IN A CARDIAC · H01·1E FOR CHILDREN. I I .BEGAN TO L'EAD OTHE.R CHILDREN IN PLAYING THEATER. ·.. IT'S FUNNY -- THE THEATER, WHICH IS CHANGI~G ALL THE TI:1E, · BECAME MY HOME. THEATER REACHES TO CHILD, BECAUS E IT'S IMAGINATION. "· -..l 7~IS ~AS7 PHYSICAL C~ISIS TOO, ~y RECOVERY 3EGA~ ~HE~ I BEGAN TO 57UDY ~~ ~I~ES. EVERYTHI~G ~AS LIKE THE ?:RS7 T!~E TO ME. THE THEATER I7'S ~OW, ~OW AGAI~. AND ~GAI~ ~OW -- AL~AYS THE PRESENT .. : ~AS ~AK!~G UP I~ THE DARK. t.....i.. .\..:. :':IE ?OOL, ;us: .30R~:, AHA:ED A;:D SOMET:>tES ~ R 4GE . • ,.,.,, , r T ;\ ~ . "\~~. ~VEN SEEI~G AND FEEL:~G ~E~Z DI??ERENT. : ;As ~ORE SENSITIVE, EVERY ~OME~~ . ~AV~~G . ~ORE ~EA~I~G. l\EL2ARNI:1G THE RHYTH:-!S OF SPS.U~::IG, I BECA.;:IE . CONSCIOUS; REALLY CONSCIOUS, OF ~UMAN THEA:ER OF ·EVERY DAY . I WAS SUDDENLY AWARE 0 F ~1 0 RE ~1 EAN I :f G I il "T 0 NE. " · ~ORE ~EANING IN VOICES, MORE MEANING ON FACES, MORE MEANING IN BODY ~OVEMENT. SO :1UCH FEELING BETWEEN WORDS -- IT's .ENDLESS. ENOUGH SPACE FOR ENDLESS PL-\NETS .\ND STARS. ~HE~ ?:~ALLY I COULD UNDERSTAND A WORD, IT WAS A BIG DEAL: IT'S ~OT ABSTRACT TO ME ANYMORE: WORDS. IT'S NOT ABSTRACT AT ALL. T~E ~HYTHMS OF PEOPLE SPEAKING ::'3 ~OT ABSTRACT. IT'S LIVI~G. ?OR ~E EACH WORD, IT'S HIT OR XISS. ::AC:-i SZ:ITEi{CE, IT'S JOURNEY. I AM ALWAYS ACTOR, DIREC7ING THEATER, AND TEACHING. AL'~AYS. MY WORK NOW, IT'S CONTINUING FROM BEFORE IT'S DEEPENING FRDM BEFORE i7'S ~y LIFE IN THEATER. TODAY, ~10NDAY, MAY 4TH, I WAS TEACHING N·.Y.U. I CAN ONLY TO READ ON STAGE NOW, RUT I WILL PERFORM NEXT MONTH IN POLAND A PLAY I WROTE WITH SAM SHEPHERD: WAR IN HEAVEN -- NEXT WINTER I WILL PERFORM A PLAY IN LOS ANGELES I AM WRITING WITH JEAN-CLAUDE VAN !TALLIE -- ---.......--A DAY IN THE LIFE. · AND I'M NOW DIRECTING PLAYS BY IONESCO IN NEW YORK CITY. · . ~ :;: :;:;;JOY KE.illi.:--IG HORE ~OW. POE'l'R':', AND THE MIRACLE OF ~HE . 3UMA~ VOICE. COLORS AND MUSIC ARE MORE BLESSINGS. AND I'M SURPRISED TO LIVE AGAI~. AND GLAD. LA VITA NUOVA. DANTE CAL:~ IT. :~'S !~CREDI3LZ. THIS ~EW LIFE. ::'S BIGGER :~A~ 3EFORE, ?OR ME THEATER ~OW, IT'S . ~ORLD. I.:! :lOT INTERESTED :N II sWEET. II :lOW, I'M I~C'ERESTED ·JNLY I:f CHA.~IGE.. ~E ARE ~~ANGI~G . QUICKLY. ~E ARE NOT PERMANEN7. WE CAN ·EVEN CHANGE AUDIZHCES --A LI~::.z, M.A':'3E. 3 ECAUSE THEATER, .. I7' S I:·!AGIN AT ION. IT'S CONTAGIO~S, Lii~ LAUGHTER AND ~HE · FLU. THEA 7ER, . I7' S FEELING, WORDS, RHYTH~lS, AND C:1ANG E. EXPERIMENTING IN THEATER~ IT'S FAILURE AND DISCOVERY. IT'S TRYING AGAIN. THEATER, IT'S CRYING, AND FUNNY, AND MUSIC -- ALL TOGETHER. THJEATER, IT'S POWER -- FOR CHANGE. I HATE "FASCIST." IT'S STATIC. WE MUST CHANGE. IT'S ~y FAMILY, THEATER. I COULD ~OT GET BETTER ;~o~:. WHEN ! WAS BEGI~~I~G ~EC~VERY WORK, ~ANY ?SOP:z ~EL?~D ME. ',, ~ . •.~ JH.::.. • : "M G2..cTEFUL TO 3E :iE:\E. 1 ·- - ~ ~ ..- .. ... ·. .· ~ - ~ · ~: . .;:~ . - :: ..·.- ;-.. ;-·:: ·:·· _<_·: ::::. s .-- ~ - :~ 1. { ~ - ~ - ~ · ~ - \f ·t..:..!: •. -::;· . .:-. 1·· 'r~ - . .,... .~ ·--·:::-:-;:'J ... ·;:· .- :~ - ': :-:· · ~ -.... ::=: 1' .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Political Hamlet According to Jan Kott and Jerzy Grotowski1
    Multicultural Shakespeare: Translation, Appropriation and Performance vol. 17 (32), 2018; DOI: 10.18778/2083-8530.17.06 ∗ Wanda Świątkowska The Political Hamlet According to Jan Kott and Jerzy Grotowski1 Abstract: The article presents political interpretations of Hamlet in Poland in the turbulent period of politcal changes between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s. The author discusses the relationships between Shakespeare’s tragedy and Polish political context as well as the influence of audience expectations in the specific interpretations. The selected performances are: Hamlet by Roman Zawistowski (at the Old Theatre in Cracow 1956) and Hamlet Study by Jerzy Grotowski (at the Laboratory Theatre of 13 Rows in Opole 1964). They both were hugely influenced by major commentators of Hamlet, i.e. Stanisław Wyspiański and Jan Kott. The author argues that up-to-date readings of Hamlet, which started with Wyspiański’s study in 1905, flourished in the mid-1950s and mid-1960s when concerning specific political events: the Polish Thaw of 1956 and March 1968, when the Jews were expelled from Poland. Thus Hamlet of that time was updated and must be seen through the prism of political events. Keywords: William Shakespeare, Stanisław Wyspiański, Jerzy Grotowski, Jan Kott, Hamlet, Hamlet Study, Polish Thaw of 1956, March 1968, politics. This article looks at two interpretations of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the concepts of updating the tragedy put forward by Jan Kott, and Jerzy Grotowski. It will not investigate their further professional relationship or Kott’s attitude to Grotowski’s later works. The article will only focus on one episode in their careers that took place in Poland in the period between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s.
    [Show full text]
  • TRAINING the YOUNG ACTOR: a PHYSICAL APPROACH a Thesis
    TRAINING THE YOUNG ACTOR: A PHYSICAL APPROACH A Thesis Presented to The Graduate Faculty of The University of Akron In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts Anthony Lewis Johnson December, 2009 TRAINING THE YOUNG ACTOR: A PHYSICAL APPROACH Anthony Lewis Johnson Thesis Approved: Accepted: __________________________ __________________________ Advisor Dean of the College Mr. James Slowiak Dr. Dudley Turner __________________________ __________________________ Faculty Reader Dean of the Graduate School Mr. Durand Pope Dr. George R. Newkome __________________________ __________________________ School Director Date Mr. Neil Sapienza ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION TO TRAINING THE YOUNG ACTOR: A PHYSICAL APPROACH...............................................................................1 II. AMERICAN INTERPRETATIONS OF STANISLAVSKI’S EARLY WORK .......5 Lee Strasberg .............................................................................................7 Stella Adler..................................................................................................8 Robert Lewis...............................................................................................9 Sanford Meisner .......................................................................................10 Uta Hagen.................................................................................................11 III. STANISLAVSKI’S LATER WORK .................................................................13 Tension
    [Show full text]
  • The Political Hamlet According to Jan Kott and Jerzy Grotowski
    Multicultural Shakespeare: Translation, Appropriation and Performance Volume 17 Article 6 June 2018 The Political Hamlet According to Jan Kott and Jerzy Grotowski Wanda Świątkowska Jagiellonian University in Cracow Follow this and additional works at: https://digijournals.uni.lodz.pl/multishake Part of the Theatre and Performance Studies Commons Recommended Citation Świątkowska, Wanda (2018) "The Political Hamlet According to Jan Kott and Jerzy Grotowski," Multicultural Shakespeare: Translation, Appropriation and Performance: Vol. 17 , Article 6. DOI: 10.18778/2083-8530.17.06 Available at: https://digijournals.uni.lodz.pl/multishake/vol17/iss32/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Arts & Humanities Journals at University of Lodz Research Online. It has been accepted for inclusion in Multicultural Shakespeare: Translation, Appropriation and Performance by an authorized editor of University of Lodz Research Online. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Multicultural Shakespeare: Translation, Appropriation and Performance vol. 17 (32), 2018; DOI: 10.18778/2083-8530.17.06 ∗ Wanda Świątkowska The Political Hamlet According to Jan Kott and Jerzy Grotowski1 Abstract: The article presents political interpretations of Hamlet in Poland in the turbulent period of politcal changes between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s. The author discusses the relationships between Shakespeare’s tragedy and Polish political context as well as the influence of audience expectations in the specific interpretations. The selected performances are: Hamlet by Roman Zawistowski (at the Old Theatre in Cracow 1956) and Hamlet Study by Jerzy Grotowski (at the Laboratory Theatre of 13 Rows in Opole 1964). They both were hugely influenced by major commentators of Hamlet, i.e.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Towson University's MFA in Theatre Arts Program
    Towson University: College of Fine Arts and Communication M.F.A. in Theatre Arts History of Towson University’s M.F.A. in Theatre Arts Program The MFA Program in Theatre Arts at Towson University started in 1994 under the leadership of Juanita Rockwell. In its 20‐year history, the program has engaged in a number of ambitious projects (originated by both students and faculty), presented over 60 theatre projects and performance pieces and received a number of outside accolades for these endeavors. Students and alumni have worked with a variety of professional artists and have also gone on to create theatre companies of their own. They have also taught at a number of colleges and universities, and have embarked on successful professional careers at institutions around the country. Tours MFA productions have toured to international festivals in Bulgaria, Slovakia, Egypt, Poland and Hungary. National tours of shows have included trips to Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago, and Austin, Texas. In the summer of 2009, a group of MFA students did a Study Abroad Program to Wroclaw, Poland. There they attended the Grotowski Institute’s festival, “The World as a Place of Truth,” a celebration of the life and work of the famous Polish theatre director Jerzy Grotowski. The students also participated in a five‐day, six‐hours‐a‐day workshop with Teatr ZAR, the in‐house theatre company at the Grotowski Institute. In the summer of 2011, the program presented a showcase at the ToRoNaDa Space in New York City. The two‐week showcase, entitled Modicums, includes The Natasha Plays; Return to Sender by Shannon McPhee; The Title Sounded Better in French by Lola B.
    [Show full text]
  • The Work of Jerzy Grotowski
    TRANSCENDING THE INDIVIDUAL SPHERE: THE WORK OF JERZY GROTOWSKI FU-PING LEE Submitted in fulfillment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Drama Department Goldsmiths College, University of London September 2007 ABSTRACT Jerzy Grotowski's lifelong work can be divided into three stages. The first (1957-63) can be summarized as the theatre of collective introspection, which was to bring together people in Polish society by means of adapting ritual spectacle, Durkheim's view of the renewal of social solidarity and Jung's notion of collective unconscious. The second stage (1964-77) starts with the shift of Grotowski's focus from shaping collectivity in performance to achieving individual initiation - the liberation from social conditioning - during the theatre process, especially during actor training. In 1970 Grotowski stopped producing performances and innovated a series of events subsequently known as paratheatrical activities through which he hoped to achieve the liberation of participants more effectively without the burden of making productions. During the third stage of his work (1978-99), Grotowski separated the essential elements of certain traditional practices such as ritual songs and dances so as to establish gatherings in which a sense of collectivity could be experienced among the participants from different social and cultural backgrounds. He ultimately concentrated on work around selected traditional songs preserving the corporeal impulses of the singer m their vibratory quality. The work around these songs, which made the precise 2 transformation of states of being possible was converted, by linking a sequence of songs, into a piece with a complete structure that could be taken as the potential central component of the proposed gathering Grotowski had been after.
    [Show full text]
  • The Inventory of the Sam Shepard Collection #746
    The Inventory of the Sam Shepard Collection #746 Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center Shepard, Srun Sept,1~77 - Jan,1979 Outline of Inventory I. MANUSCRIPTS A. Plays B. Poetry c. Journal D. Short Prose E. Articles F. Juvenilia G. By Other Authors II. NOTES III. PRINTED MATTER A, By SS B. Reviews and Publicity C. Biographd:cal D. Theatre Programs and Publicity E. Miscellany IV. AWARDS .•, V. FINANCIAL RECOR.EB A. Receipts B. Contracts and Ageeements C. Royalties VI. DRAWINGS AND PHOTOGRAPHS VII. CORRESPONDENCE VIII.TAPE RECORDINGS Shepard, Sam Box 1 I. MANUSCRIPTS A. Plays 1) ACTION. Produced in 1975, New York City. a) Typescript with a few bolo. corr. 2 prelim. p., 40p. rn1) b) Typescript photocopy of ACTION "re-writes" with holo. corr. 4p. marked 37640. (#2) 2) ANGEL CITY, rJrizen Books, 1976. Produced in 1977. a) Typescript with extensive holo. corr. and inserts dated Oct. 1975. ca. 70p. (ft3) b) Typescript with a few holo. corr. 4 prelim. p., 78p. (#4) c) Typescript photocopy with holo. markings and light cues. Photocopy of r.ouqh sketch of stage set. 1 prelim. p., 78p. ms) 3) BURIED CHILD a) First draft, 1977. Typescript with re~isions and holo. corr. 86p. (#6) b) Typescript revisions. 2p. marked 63, 64. (#6) 4) CALIFORNIA HEART ATTACK, 1974. ,•. ' a) Typescript with holo. corr. 23p. (#7) ,, 5) CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS, Urizen Books, 1976. a) Typescript with holo. corr. 1 prelim. p., 104p. ms) b) Typescript photocopy with holo. corr. 1 prelim. p. 104p. (#9) c) Typescript dialogue and stage directions, 9p. numbered 1, 2, and 2-8.
    [Show full text]
  • Comparative Study of the Ritual Aspects of Western and Asian Performance
    Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Scholars Compass Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2009 COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE RITUAL ASPECTS OF WESTERN AND ASIAN PERFORMANCE Hyung Don Lee Virginia Commonwealth University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd Part of the Theatre and Performance Studies Commons © The Author Downloaded from https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/1703 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact [email protected]. School of the Arts of Virginia Commonwealth University This is to certify that the thesis prepared by Hyung Don Lee entitled COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE RITUAL ASPECTS OF WESTERN AND ASIAN PERFORMANCE has been approved by his committee as satisfactory completion of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Fine Arts. Dr. Noreen C. Barnes, Department of Theatre Dr. Aaron Anderson, Department of Theatre Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, Department of Theatre Dr. Noreen C. Barnes, Director of Graduate Studies David Leong, Chairman of Department of Theatre Dr. Richard Toscan, Dean of School of the Arts Dr. F. Douglas Boudinot, Dean of the Graduate School Date © Hyung Don Lee 2009 All Rights Reserved COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE RITUAL ASPECTS OF WESTERN AND ASIAN PERFORMANCE A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. by HYUNG DON LEE Master of Arts, Dongguk University, 2004 Bachelor of Arts, Hannam University, 1999 KOREA Director: DR.
    [Show full text]
  • Missionaries
    Brooklyn Academy of Music 1997 Next Wave Festival .•- •• • •••••• ••• • • • • Julio Galan, Rado, 1996, oil on canvas, 39 '/>" x 31 W' Missionaries PHILIP MORRIS BAM 1997 Next Wave Festival is sponsored by COMPANIES INC. Brooklyn Academy of Music Bruce C. Ratner Chairman of the Board Harvey Lichtenstein President and Executive Producer presents Missionaries Running time: BAM Majestic Theater approximately November 4-8, 1997 at 7:30pm two hours and twenty minutes Conceived, composed and directed by Elizabeth Swados including one intermission Produced by Ron Kastner, Peter Manning and New York Stage and Film Cast Dorothy Abrahams, Vanessa Aspillaga, Carrie Crow, Josie de Guzman, Pierre Diennet, Marisa Echeverria, Abby Freeman, Peter Kim, Gretchen Lee Krich, Fabio Polanco, Nick Petrone, Heather Ramey, Nina Shreiber, Tina Stafford, Rachel Stern, Amy White Musical direction and piano David Gaines Percussion Genji Ito, Bill Ruyle Guitar Ramon Taranco Cello / keyboards J. Michael Friedman Lighting design Beverly Emmons Costu me design Kaye Voyce Production manager Jack O'Connor General manager Christina Mills Production stage manager Judy Tucker Co-commissioned by Brooklyn Academy of Music Major support provided by ==:ATaaT and The Ford Foundation ~ Missionaries is meant to honor the memory of those who were killed in EI Salvador during the terrible times of the 1970s and 1980s. I hope it will also bring attention to the extraordinary efforts being made today by the MADRES and other groups devoted to stopping violence and bringing freedom and dignity to the poor. Jean Donovan, Dorothy Kazel, Ita Ford, and Maura Clarke were murdered because of their beliefs and dedication to the women and children of EI Salvador.
    [Show full text]
  • GULDEN-DISSERTATION-2021.Pdf (2.359Mb)
    A Stage Full of Trees and Sky: Analyzing Representations of Nature on the New York Stage, 1905 – 2012 by Leslie S. Gulden, M.F.A. A Dissertation In Fine Arts Major in Theatre, Minor in English Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved Dr. Dorothy Chansky Chair of Committee Dr. Sarah Johnson Andrea Bilkey Dr. Jorgelina Orfila Dr. Michael Borshuk Mark Sheridan Dean of the Graduate School May, 2021 Copyright 2021, Leslie S. Gulden Texas Tech University, Leslie S. Gulden, May 2021 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I owe a debt of gratitude to my Dissertation Committee Chair and mentor, Dr. Dorothy Chansky, whose encouragement, guidance, and support has been invaluable. I would also like to thank all my Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Sarah Johnson, Andrea Bilkey, Dr. Jorgelina Orfila, and Dr. Michael Borshuk. This dissertation would not have been possible without the cheerleading and assistance of my colleague at York College of PA, Kim Fahle Peck, who served as an early draft reader and advisor. I wish to acknowledge the love and support of my partner, Wesley Hannon, who encouraged me at every step in the process. I would like to dedicate this dissertation in loving memory of my mother, Evelyn Novinger Gulden, whose last Christmas gift to me of a massive dictionary has been a constant reminder that she helped me start this journey and was my angel at every step along the way. Texas Tech University, Leslie S. Gulden, May 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………………ii ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………..………………...iv LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………..v I.
    [Show full text]
  • The Post-Traumatic Theatre of Grotowski and Kantor Advance Reviews
    The Post-traumatic Theatre of Grotowski and Kantor Advance Reviews “A brilliant cross-disciplinary comparative analysis that joins a new path in theatre studies, revitalizing the artistic heritage of two great twentieth-century masters: Tadeusz Kantor and Jerzy Grotowski.” —Professor Antonio Attisani, Department of Humanities, University of Turin “Among the landmarks of postwar avant-garde theatre, two Polish works stand out: Grotowski’s Akropolis and Kantor’s Dead Class. Magda Romanska scrupulously corrects misconceptions about these crucial works, bringing to light linguistic elements ignored by Anglophone critics and an intense engagement with the Holocaust very often overlooked by their Polish counterparts. This is vital and magnificently researched theatre scholarship, at once alert to history and to formal experiment. Romanska makes two pieces readers may think they know newly and urgently legible.” —Martin Harries, author of “Forgetting Lot’s Wife: On Destructive Spectatorship,” University of California, Irvine “As someone who teaches and researches in the areas of Polish film and theatre – and European theatre/theatre practice/translation more broadly – I was riveted by the book. I couldn’t put it down. There is no such extensive comparative study of the work of the two practitioners that offers a sustained and convincing argument for this. The book is ‘leading edge.’ Romanska has the linguistic and critical skills to develop the arguments in question and the political contexts are in general traced at an extremely sophisticated level. This is what lends the writing its dynamism.” —Dr Teresa Murjas, Director of Postgraduate Research, Department of Film, Theatre and Television, University of Reading “This is a lucidly and even beautifully written book that convincingly argues for a historically and culturally contextualized understanding of Grotowski’s and Kantor’s performances.
    [Show full text]
  • An Actor Remembers: Memory's Role in the Training of the United States
    An Actor Remembers: Memory’s Role in the Training of the United States Actor by Devin E. Malcolm B.A. in The Human Drama, Juniata College, 1997 M.A. in Theatre, Villanova University, 2002 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theatre History and Performance Studies University of Pittsburgh 2012 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences This dissertation was presented by Devin E. Malcolm It was defended on November, 5th 2012 and approved by Kathleen George, PhD, Theatre Arts Bruce McConachie, PhD, Theatre Arts Edouard Machery, PhD, History and Philosophy of Science Dissertation Advisor: Attilio Favorini, PhD, Theatre Arts ii Copyright © by Devin E. Malcolm 2012 iii AN ACTOR REMEMBERS: MEMORY’S ROLE IN THE TRAINING OF THE UNITED STATES ACTOR Devin E. Malcolm, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2012 This dissertation examines the different ways actor training techniques in the United States have conceived of and utilized the actor’s memory as a means of inspiring the actor’s performance. The training techniques examined are those devised and taught by Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Joseph Chaikin, Stephen Wangh and Anne Bogart and Tina Landau. As I shall illustrate, memory is not the unified phenomenon that we often think and experience it to be. The most current research supports the hypothesis that the human memory is composed of five distinctly different, yet interrelated systems. Of these five my research focuses on three: episodic, semantic, and procedural.
    [Show full text]
  • Grotowski: Ecstasy and Initiation in Performance
    Anna Misopolinou Ph. D Thesis Grotowski: Ecstasy and Initiation in Performance University of London Goldsmith‘s College 2004 1 ABSTRACT By examining the work of the theatre director Jerzy Grotowski, this thesis seeks to define how Grotowskian performance becomes an initiatory process through ecstasy. Despite several transitions in his work, from 1959 till after his death in 1999 to the present time, its aims and underlying principles have remained unalterable. In the Grotowskian tradition the performer builds up the psyche, in contrast to other acting methods that stress the importance of the role. What Grotowski sought to achieve was the self-development of the performer through transcultural performing and ritual techniques. Therefore, an interdisciplinary approach was elaborated for the analysis of Grotowski‘s methods. After contextualising Grotowski in the post-War Polish society, his work is examined in relation to other disciplines. An overview of theories from anthropology and sociology indicates how Grotowski‘s work relates to traditional and archaic ritual. Thus, his work can be further elucidated by the theories of Theatre Anthropology, which examine performances that borrow artistic elements from ritual and non-Western theatre. Yet, Grotowski refused to adapt unedited ritualistic or theatrical fragments and gestures to his work. Viewed concomitantly with anthropological and psychological theories, his work appears to have developed a special affinity to ecstatic and healing ritual, the methods and principles of which were applied by his performers. To elucidate this special affinity, parallels are drawn between Grotowski‘s work and the Greek ecstatic ritual of Anastenaria. This thesis indicates the way the mental and physical perception of Grotowski‘s performer functions in an ecstatic or liminal context beyond bipolarisation.
    [Show full text]