Grotowski and His Laboratory. Osinski

Contents A BRIEF PREAMBLE by Lillian Vallee and Robert Findlay

7

AUTHOR'S NOTE by Zbigniew Osinski

11

INTRODUCTION TO THE THEATRE

13

FIRST INDEPENDENT WORKS IN THE THEATRE

21

TOWARDS A POOR THEATRE Opole 1959-1964

36

"THE RELIGION OF MANKIND" Wroclaw 1965-1970

83

· "IN SEARCH OF ACTIVE CULTURE" Wroclaw 1971-1976

128

1976-1986: A NECESSARY AFTERWORD by Robert Findlay

166

APPENDIX: PERSONNEL OF THE LABORATOR'{ THEATRE 1959/1960 through 197611977

181

7

A Brief Preamble

The text which follows by Polish theatre historian and criticZbigniew Osin· ski was originally published as Grotowski i jego Laboratorium in Warsaw in 1980 by Panstwowy lnstytut Wydawniczy. Osinski's discussion covers the period from Jerzy Grotowski's youth through the eighteenth year (1976) of the Laboratory Theatre's existence. It is only fair to note that the original book is a much larger work than appears here in English translation. The original is in two major parts: (1) an essentially chronological calendar of events dealing with Grotowski and his work with the Laboratory Theatre, and (2) a series of speculative and theoretical essays on Grotowski and his work, most of which are densely written and in essence untranslatable. Such a statement in no way disparages Osinski as critic or scholar: his excellent essays on both Grotowski's Akropolis and The Constant Prince (in Teatr Dionizosa [1972]) are thorough and highly perceptive. But it is Osinski's chronological calendar which is published here, and it . covers Grotowski's early schooling and influences, his early theatrical experiences, his rise to prominence as a youthful anti-Stalinist political figure in the mid-1950s, and his founding in Opole in 1959 (with critic Ludwik Flaszen) of the theatre group that eventually was to become the world-famous Teatr Laboratorium (or, as it has been traditionally referred to in English, the Polish Laboratory Theatre). Osinski's calendar covers in detail those difficult years in Opole (1959-1965), when Grotowski and the group were fighting for survival. During these years, it seemed that a large portion of the 'critical (and political) community in Poland, fearful of the aesthetic and perhaps ultimately political implications of this new enterprise, would have gladly seen it go out of existence. But then, as Osinski

Grotowski and His Laboratory 8

shows, in the mid-1960s, as the group began to gain some recognition outside Poland and moved to the large metropolitan city of Wrodaw, the atmosphere began to change, if ever so slightly. Still occasionally "the old game," as Grotowski himself has referred to this vituperative critical barrage, would crop up again. Then in the late 1960s, on tour with productions of Akropolis, The Constant Prince, and Apocalypsis cum figuris, Grotowski and his Laboratory gained· worldwide recognition and acclaim. International fame came largely as a result of the frequently awesome quality of Grotowski's actors and the training methods he had developed to bring them to this level. An actor such as Ryszard Cieslak almost overnight became known throughout the world as the most physically adept and emotionally transcendent performer seen in the twentieth century. As Osinski clearly documents, by the late 1960s and early 1970s the Laboratory Theatre was recognized internationally as the major theatrical ensemble in the world and its director as the foremost theatrical figure since Brecht. It was, of course, at this point in the early 1970s that Grotowski announced nis so-called "exit" from the theatre. Rather than repeat past theatrical suc:esses, rather than become his own follower, he chose another direction, :award what he called "active culture" and "paratheatrical experiences," a :lirection still not adequately understood today by most theatre practitioners md critics. It is with the first truly tangible and publicly demonstrable fruits of :his new direction-the so-called Research University of the Theatre of Nations n Wrodaw (1975) and preparations for "Project: the Mountain of Flame" -that Osinski's account ends in 1976. Much, of course, has happened in the Jast ten years to Grotowski, members of his troupe, and to Poland generally. )ne of the major purposes of the added section following Osinski's text, titled 1976-1986: A Necessary Afterword," is to account for these past ten years and :o bring matters more up to date. A word needs to be said about Osinski's methods in developing his text and tlso about the methods followed by the translators and editors in rendering the ext. In his chronological calendar, Osinski, by his own admission in the 'Author's Note" that follows, has attempted a very factual account; in general, 1e is a documentarian rather than interpreter. His account depends heavily 1pon the reports of others-newspaper, magazine, and journal critics especially. \!though Osinski uses accounts of Grotowski's work from all over the world, 1is chief sources of information are Polish. Thus there is a great deal of quoted naterial here from sources never before appearing in English. Osinski's ac:ount, interestingly, is a very "Polish reading" of the phenomenon of Jerzy :Jrotowski and his Laboratory Theatre. Critics from other parts of the world, >ecause they never understood the language spoken by Grotowski's per:>rmers, most often concentrated on the actors' obviously incredible vocal and 'hysical skills. The Polish critics, on the other hand-individuals such as Jerzy ;alkowski, ]6zef Kdera, and Tadeusz Burzynski-often wrote of premieres from

9 Zbigniew Osinski

a more informed and sophisticated perspective. Because often the Laboratory Theatre developed its productions from Polish classics generally unknown outside Poland-Mickiewicz's Forefathers' Eve, Srowacki's Kordian, Wyspianski's Akropolis, for example-these Polish critics often wrote with a much more intimate awareness of the originals than, say, French or Italian or American critics. Thus Osinski's method of quoting extensively from his sources happily increases the amount of Polish material on Grotowski now available in English. Being a scholarly account of the work of Grotowski, Osinski's book contains innumerable detailed footnotes, all based upon a numbering system generally unfamiliar to English-speaking readers. The translators and editors, in the interest of developing a more easily readable text, have thus dispensed with Osinski's footnotes but have added at the conclusions of quotations parenthetical allusions to author, source, and year of publication. Those who wish more precise documentation of a particular source should go to Osinski's original text in Polish. Additionally, all editorial additions to Osinski are placed in square brackets ([ ]). Something must be said about the handling of the Polish language in this English version. All Polish accents on Polish words have been maintained. Titles of most Polish plays, essays, articles, etc. have been rendered in English. But the sources in which essays, reviews, articles, etc. appear have kept their Polish titles. While it might be helpful to know that newspapers such as Gazeta Robotnicza means "Workers' News" and Sf.owo Polskie means "Polish Word," it is simply more accurate documentation to cite the source in its original language. A comparable situation that is almost inconceivable is to imagine the New York Times being rendered by a Polish writer as "Czasy nowojorsksie." And Polish sources, often-cited, such as Literatura, Kultura, or Polityka are simply clear enough as they stand. One final word: Osinski's is not really a very intimate portrait of Grotowski, and certainly the members of the Laboratory Theatre company hardly emerge as distinct individuals in their own right, which they certainly are (for a complete listing of company members, season-by-season, see the appendix, "Personnel of the Laboratory Theatre"; for brief notes on what they are doing today, see "1976-1986: A Necessary Afterword."). But Osinski's account, undoubtedly in keeping with his intent, seems always to view the group from the perspective of a total outsider, despite the fact that he clearly over the years has had innumerable contacts with members of the group. What emerges from Osinski's account is a portrait of Grotowski as chiefly public figure: a brilliantly intelligent, articulate, talented, courageous, unique and charismatic individual, hated and resented by some, nearly deified by others; but a man who, in the post-World War II period, has done more than anyone else to bring about a reevaluation of the theatre and the premises upon which theatre has stood, not simply in the twentieth century but for all time.

- - --·- . - - --

-------- ----·

....

--

---- .

Grotowski and His Laboratory 10

The translators and editors would like to thank Daniel Gerould for first suggesting this project several years ago; Gerald Rabkin for his perennial good counsel in matters connected to the Laboratory Theatre; Michael Mullins for his assistance in providing Australian reviews of the Laboratory Theatre; Halina Filipowicz, who did the original translation of the first two sections, "Introduction to the Theatre" and "First Independent Works in the Theatre," and who has given considerable support and assistance to the project since its beginning; Marian Barnett, administrator of Grotowski's work in California, for her assistance in understanding the administrative organization of "Objective Drama"; Ellen Walterscheid for her considerable editing assistance; Zbigniew Cynkutis for his endless support; and particularly Jerzy Grotowski, whose discussions in New York (August/September 1984) and Irvine and Long Beach, California (March 1985) helped greatly in the clarification both of Osinski's text and of his own work since 1976. Lillian Vallee Modesto, California Robert Findlay Lawrence, Kansas 1 July 1985

11

Author's Note

When in the years 1970-1973 I decided to write a collection of articles about the Laboratory Theatre, I felt a lack of publications which could document the activities of Grotowski's new center. Neither of the already published books, Eugenio Barba's Alla ricerca del Teatro perduto: Una proposta dell'avantguardia pollacca ["In Search of the Lost Theatre: A Proposal of the Polish Avant-Garde" (1965)] nor Raymonde Temkine's Grotowski (1968), were able to supply this information. In addition, these works, which were doubtlessly valuable and useful in their time, are no longer up to date. The task of this book is to fill the gap. Grotowski i jego Laboratorium includes the situation up to 1976 inclusively, even though I have added items from 1977 to the appendices. I have deliberately taken on the role of documentor. Let the facts and testimonies speak for themselves; the authorial comment is there where it is needed. This is an informational book first of all. One of the results of this method is the lack of exhaustive authorial descriptions, analyses, and interpretations of the successive works-theatre performances by Grotowski and his troupe. A monographic treatment demands a separate publication. I would in all likelihood not have written this book if not for the understanding and concrete help of many people. Allow me, therefore, to thank Barbara Bosak, Teresa Gabrys, Irena Jun, Barbara Majeska, Maria Krzyszstof Byrski, Wiesfaw Gorecki, ]6zef Grotowski, Tadeusz Kudlinski, Henryk Lipszyc, Roger Pulvers, Marian Stepien, Bolesfa.w T aborski, ]6zef Wieczorek, and the Laboratory Theatre company. I also used the periodicals and xerox copies of materials supplied to me by Natella Baszyndzagian, Carla Pollastrelli, and the American and Australian Centers ofiTI in New York and Sydney, respectively.

Grotowski and His Laboratory 12

.,, 'f:}

The comments of Janusz Degler, Ludwik Flaszen, and the editorial board of Teatralia PIW made after the first draft of the manuscript appeared had an important influence on the present form of this book. To all whom I have and have not mentioned, my heartfelt thanks . One more thing. This work is an outllne. It is, therefore, a point of deparrure for more detailed analyses and deeper reflection . Zbigniew Osir\ski Warsaw, Poland 8 April 1978

r. .

,~·;:>,;,.<

13

Introduction to the Theatre

Jerzy Marian Grotowski was born on 11 August 1933 in Rzeszow, Poland. His father, Marian Grotowski [1898-1968], was a forest ranger and painter who died in Paraguay, where he had been residing since the close of World War II. His mother, Emilia Grotowska nee Kozlowska [1897-1978], was a teacher. An older brother, Kazimierz, was born in 1930. Until September 1939, when Poland was invaded, the Grotowski family lived in Przemysl. When World War II broke out [the father was an officer in the Polish army and later in the Polish army in England], Emilia Grotowska and her two sons moved to Nienad6wka, a peasant village about 12 miles north of Rzeszow, where they spent the rest of the war. Jerzy Grotowski enrolled in a Nienadowka grade school where his mother was hired as a teacher. As Grotowski himself admits, the Nienad6wka years were an important formative period for him. He discovered various forms of folk rites and beliefs, and he was first exposed to the personality of an inspired prophet: My mother went to town ... and brought back a book called A Search in Secret India by an English journalist named [Paul] Brunton. He talked about the people he met in India, mainly about some unusual man. He lived on the slopes of Arunachala, a holy mountain, or the Mountain of Flame. His name was Maharishi [Bhagwan Shri Ramana]. He had a peculiar custom. When someone came to him to seek explanation about the essence or meaning of life, he would ask: "Who are you?" But the question was phrased as a direct statement: "Ask yourself who you are." (Interview, A. Bonarski, Kulcura [1975])

Grotowski and His Laboratory 14

After the war, Grotowski completed his grade school education with honors in Rzeszow. In 1950, the Grotowski family moved to Krakow, where Emilia Grotowska got a job as a clerk in a district court for insurance claims. In 1951, Grotowski graduated summa cum laude from the Fifth High School in Krakow. While still in high school, Grotowski frequently gave poetry recitals in Rzeszow, Krakow, and nearby towns, and he participated in poetry recital contests, often walking away with the first prize. In a letter of recommendation, his high school teachers described him as "diligent, very talented, and a dedicated volunteer worker. He puts a lot of effort into the students' self-help system. He has considerable interest in the art~." Grotowski's application to the acting program of the State Theatre School in Krakow mentions his difficult financial situation and his need of financial support. His mother's meager salary was not enough to support three -people, and -Grotowski had assisted the family income through receiving a scholarship while in high school. Grotowski took entrance examinations at the Theatre School in September 1951. His results were: physical appearance, C; diction, F; voice, B; ex· pressiveness, C. The examination committee included a note about Grotowski's diction: "Wrong pronunciation of sounds Its!, lz/, /s/, /rh/, and /sh/," but he was allowed to take the written test. The applicants were asked to write on one of the following topics: I . How can theatre contribute to the development of socialism in Poland? 2. How do you understand the actor's task in the theatre? 3. Discuss one of the award-winning works at the Festival of Contemporary Polish Plays. Grotowski [gamefully] chose the first topic and received an "A" for his essay. On the basis of his written test and his high school recommendation, he was accepted on probation with an overall grade of "C." However, he was denied any financial aid. Grotowski was enrolled in the acting program of the Theatre School in Krakow from 1 October 1951 until 30 June 1955. But he also continued to cultivate his interest in the Orient, going to lectures, studying on his own, giving talks, and consulting with specialists. Among them was Professor Helena Willman-Grabowska (1870-1957), an authority on Indian and Iranian culture, and Dr. Franciszek Tokarz (1879-1973), an outstanding specialist in Indian philosophy. While a theatre student at Krakow, Grotowski seriously considered transferring to the East Asian program or to the medical school. In his second year, Grotowski became president of the Students Research Club at the Theatre School. The Krakow club was considered by many the most active among similar organizations at other theatre schools throughout Poland. As a club representative, Grotowski traveled to regional and national conferences. In December 1954, during the 13th meeting of the Arts Council in

15 Zbigniew Osinski

Warsaw, Grotowski urged the authorities to be more supportive of the young generation of theatre artists. In his statement, according to one report: Grotowski was concerned that the sickly atmosphere in theatres is beginning to infiltrate theatre schools. Moral cynicism, careerism, and the pursuit of material values are the most dangerous symptoms of demoralization. But Grotowski is no pessimist. He sees evil, and he wants to do something about it. Young theatre artists, Grotowski said, want romantic and heroic ideals. Those who are better and wiser are still in the majority. But that's where the bitterness creeps in. Young actors are left largely to themselves. Rarely do they meet with understanding from directors or older actors, and the authorities, including the Ministry of Culture, couldn't care less. Grotowski called for a congress of young theatre artists, which would allow them to solve many difficult and complex problems. (J. Timoszewicz, Po prostu [1954]) As a fourth-year student, Grotowski was also involved in the master's projects of the graduating class at the Theatre School. In a production of Schiller's Love and Intrigue, he served as assistant to the faculty supervisor, Professor Wladysi.aw Krzeminlski. The production opened on 17 January 1955 at Krakow's Theatre of Poetry and was performed 68 times to full or nearly full houses. In Gorky's The Smug Citizens, shown on 26 May 1955, Grotowski played Pyotr, and he directed Love Scenes, a collage of excerpts from plays by Juliusz Sfowacki (Balladyna, Beatrice Cenci, Kordian, Mazepa, and Mary Stuart, among others). In early 1955, Grotowski emerged as a free-lance writer. His first article, "The Red Balloon," published in a supplement to the Krakow Dziennik Polski, called for the establishment of a Young Artists' Club in Krakow. Alluding to the tradition of the Green Balloon cabaret in Krakow, Grotowski wrote: We must pay tribute to tradition with actions, not words. We must cultivate the seeds of the past, which may flourish into new values on modern soil. ... We wish to influence man and the world with our art. We've got the courage to fight openly and fervently for the most important issues, because only such issues are worth fighting for. The responses to Grotowski's article are of interest. Critic and playwright Jan Pawel Gawlik wrote: "I don't know Grotowski personally, but I know that his head is on fire. In his article, there's plenty of nonconformism, bragging, and cliches, and a pinch of complacency, typical of youth. But there's also something that commands attention." Writer and actor Leszek Herdegen openly criticized Grotowski: "It's not enough to have a firm ideology, it's not

Grotowski and His Laboratory 16

enough to be a member of the Polish Youth Union, it's not enough to be a volunteer worker in order to be an artist. . . . You must have your own, unique artistic program .. .. You've got to know what you want to accomplish as an artist." Playwright S~;;womir Mroiek attacked Grotowski even more violently: Let's assume that Grotowski is really on fire. Unfortunately, nobody really knows what's burning there. Pray, Grotowski, why didn't you give us some specific examples? You signed yourself a theatre student but there's not even a small mention, for example, of what you're trying to accomplish in the theatre. Grotowski, you want to knock something over or go somewhere, you shake your fists at someone, but pray, tell us what, where, who. Grotowski's response to such criticism is his "Dream of the Theatre," which appeared in Dziennik Polski on 23 February 1955. Here he developed his vision of a theatre of grand emotions: A performance may be well acted and directed, yet the audience feels there's something missing. We must, then, thoroughly revise the very idea, style, and artistic impact of the theatre .... To us, the strength of the theatre lies in action, in the enactment of life in front of us .... Therefore we need means especially suitable for producing an emotional effect. ... I'm talking about the poetic structure of a theatre work not in isolation from, but in close connection with, the dramatic text. The theatre of grand emotions . .. requires the great romantic repertory: from Shakespeare, Mickiewicz, and Slowacki to Wyspianski, Vishnevsky, and Pogodin. Grotowski chose Hamlet to illustrate his concept of "the theatre of grand emotions,'' which demands "courage, persistence, and hard work": A productio n of Hamlet is especially suitable to emphasize, for example, "an obsessive drive to revenge leading to self-destruction." One would then play up those moments which show the protagonist motivated by his will to revenge, getting himself entangled in dangerous circumstances, and eventually becoming destroyed by his mounting "obsession." But this drama may be also staged as a psychological tragedy of a weak individual. Hamlet's philosophical deliberations would be then reduced to mere complaints of a powerless thinker. In the theatre of grand emotions, we can use Hamlet to evoke in the audience a cult of heroic and human greatness. "There's something

r

;t

-]

17 Zbigniew Osinski

'i

':J1

1

~~

·~

4

~

I

I

;I

I

i;;

I

i

rotten in the state of Denmark": the court's corruption, intrigues, hypocrisy, villainy, exploitation, and the unscrupulousness of those in power. But we can juxtapose this corruption with the young man's heroic struggle against fraud and inhumanity, challenging the sacred laws of the monarchy, family, and tradition . Hamlet sacrifices everything for his struggle, including his own life. . . . If we communicate this in our production, then we ·have accomplished our goal, and the desired grand emotions will be evoked in the spectators' hearts. The famous monologue, "To be or not to be," will not be a weak man's helpless whining but an expression of the inner struggle of a man who must decide "Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer I The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune I Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, I And by opposing end them?"-a man who discards vacillation and chooses action. When we compose the scenic action from the point of view of grand emotions, we must abandon all real life details in Hamlet whenever they aren't absolutely necessary to evoke the emotions or to clarify the action .... Natural acting and conscious structuring of the action don't exclude one another, but are a measure of the actor's art .... The poetry of action in its emotional impact should be reinforced by music, light and color, evocative rhythm, and synthetic spatial architecture, helpful for the actor's movement. Each of these elements should be realized not naturally, "as if it will seem to be in the reality of time," but in a way which will reinforce the emotional impact of the action. In June 1955, Grotowski graduated from the theatre school with an actor's certificate. In keeping with the regulations, he was assigned to the Stary [Old] Theatre of Krakow. The contract he received guaranteed him employment in the theatre from 1 October 1955 until 30 September 1958, but his appointment was delayed when Grotowski received a scholarship to study directing at the State Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS) in Moscow. Grotowski was enrolled in the GITIS directing program from 23 August 1955 until 15 June 1956. Under the supervision of Yuri Zavadsky, he directed The Mother by Jerzy Szaniawski at the Theatre Institute. He was Zavadsky's assistant in the production of Alpotov by L. G. Zorin, which opened on 27 April 1956 at the Mossoviet Theatre. He also directed productions at the Mossoviet and the Moscow Art Theatre, and he studied the techniques of Stanislavsky, Vakhtangov, Meyerhold, and Tairov. At that time, he was especially interested in Stanislavsky. As he himself says, he already knew "the method of physical actions." When he was leaving for the Soviet Union, he was known as "a fanatic disciple of Stanislavsky." But it was precisely this fanaticism that distinguished Grotowski from his fellow students.

Grotowski and His Laboratory 18

Following the current fad and th e official directive, they also claimed to be "disciples of Stanislavsky," but their commitment was to be questioned. Grotowski was different. To him, the Stanislavsky method was a serious matter and he wanted to know it thoroughly. He went to Moscow to study the method at its source. But his stay brought more than he'd hoped for. He discovered Meyerhold. He studied his legacy, especially the documentation of Meyerhold's production of The Inspector General, and he left Moscow fascinated by what he'd found. But in this confrontation with Meyerhold, Grotowski did not lose interest in Stanislavsky. To him, Stanislavsky now appeared more multi-dimensional than before. It was probably then that Grotowski finally accepted Stanislavsky as a role model. In the summer of 1956, Grotowski went on a two-month trip to Central Asia, his first direct contact with the East. Several years later, he wrote: During my expeditions in Central Asia in 1956, between an old Turkmenian town Ashkhabad and the western range of the Hindu Kush Mountains , I met an old Afghan named Abdullah who performed for me a pantomime "of the whole world," which had been a tradition in his family. Encouraged by my enthusiasm, he told me a myth about the pantomime as a metapho r for "the whole world ." The pantomime is like the world at large, and the world at large is like the pantomime. It occurred to me then that I'm listening to my own thoughts. Nature-changeable, moveable, but permanently unique at the same time-has always been embodied in my imagination as the dancing mime, unique and universal, hiding under the glittering of multiple gestures, colors, and the grimace of life. (Ekran [1959]) Grotowski returned to Poland in late summer 1956 and was accepted as a fifth-year student in the directing program at the Theatre School inKrak6w. He also received an assistantship at this time and served as assistant director for a production of Anouilh's Antigone, directed by ]erzy Kaliszewski, which opened on 12 January 1957 at the Theatre of Poetry. In Poland, the years 1956 and 1957 were a period of radical political change [particularly in the development of a massive anti-Stalinist movement], and the main drama was taking place outside the theatre. Although the Polish Youth Union was still in existence, other youth organizations emerged in 1956: the Revolutionary Union of Youth (RZM) and . the Union of Working Youth (ZMR). In preparation for a congress, which would unite both organizations, the National Center was set up with Grotowski, a RZM or.ganizer, serving as vice chairman. But the congress never took place. In early 1957, the Polish Youth Union was dissolved. Left-oriented, [anti-Stalinist] youth activists then joined the Provisional Central Committee of the Union of Socialist Youth, with Grotowski as one of the members of its governi~gbody, the Secretariat.

19 Zbigniew Osinski

Thus, out of the fusion of RZM and ZMR, a new organization, the Union of Socialist Youth (ZMS) was founded. During the second plenary session of ZMS in January 1957, Grotowski was among those who withdrew from the Secretariat because of differences of opinion. As Pawel Dubiel, Jr. reports in an article published in April 1957 in Co dalej? (What Next?): In the second general meeting, Grotowski gave a speech. In his proposal he suggested that ZMS be restored to the anti-Stalinist movement that gave it birth . . . . There was even a term, "the Grotowski line," reportedly the most radical one within the Provisional Central Committee, which was rejected by the Second Plenum. Although Grotowski probably meant well, his views support the dissident tendencies within the ZMS and thus undermine its integrity .. . . Although Grotowski, with his enthusiasm, courage, and "inflexibility" of opinion, is a likeable person, his views and attitudes must be criticized, for they are dangerous to the new Union of Socialist Youth. "The Grotowski line" is a curved line. Following this line, you cannot move ahead. In reply to this article, Grotowski published in W alka Mlodych a statement entitled "What Else Do I Do?": Since Pawel Dubiel, Jr., with his enthusiasm, courage, and inflexibility of opinion, is a likeable person (I would be glad to meet him in person), I am anxious to complete the list of my transgressions against the youth movement in People's Poland: 1. In accord with the struggle between generations, I castrate little old men. 2. I chew on telegraph poles to bring about anarchy. 3. Every week I add a new floor onto the Palace of Culture in Warsaw [to confuse authorities even more than they seem to be?]. 4. During my sinful expeditions at night, I greet comrades "Good Morning" in order to wreak havoc with ideology. 5. I buy out milk wholesale in order to lower the standard of living. When ZMS came into being, Grotowski was instrumental-in March 1957-in founding the ZMS Political Center of the Academic Left (POLA ZMS) and in developing its program. In Gazeta Krak6wska, Grotowski and Adam Ogorzalek thus explained the program of POLA ZMS: We want an organization that will teach people to think politically, to understand their interests, to fight for bread and democracy and for

Grotowski and His Laboratory 20

justice and truth in everyday life. We must fight for people to live like humans and to be masters of their fate. We must fight for young people's right to work, learn, and to have a career. We must fight for workers' universities, against employment of minors in hard and demanding jobs, for fair allocation of summer leaves , apartments, and bonuses, for equal rights for blue and white collar workers, for fair work standards, for the primacy of specialists. We must fight for young people to live a better and more satisfying life. We must fight for people to speak their minds without fear of being harassed. We must fight so that stupid and corrupt individuals won 't hold positions of responsibility. In April 1957, at a congress of ZMS in Warsaw, Grotowski was among speakers in a discussion. His remarks focused on the struggle for a "a system in which civilization, democracy, and justice have a common denominator." In order for the system to become reality, People must understand that if they don't stop pouting, join in the life of the country, and work for the common cause, then we may expect a catastrophe, bloodshed, destruction, and a takeover of despotism .. .. No one can give us bread, civilization, and freedom . We must make bread, just as we must make freedom and civilization happen. It's not true that one can hide away in one's private little world and go on living . . .. In our country, young people look forward to civilization, to a decent standard of living, to justice, to decision-making about their own lives, to technological progress. Ours is a road to civilization and freedom. (Walka Mlodych [1957]) Thus Grotowski was entering public life in Poland not so much as an artist but rather as a national-level activist of a youth organization. The experience must have been crucial for him, for even as late as 1975, he still recalled this period: In a different time of my life, during the Polish October and the period immediately following, I wanted to be a political guru, and a very dogmatic one at that. I was so fascinated with Gandhi that I wanted to be like him. I found out that's impossible for objective reasons, and besides it would be against my nature, which is capable of fair play but cannot fully ·believe that everyone has good intentions. (Interview, A. Bonarski, Kultura [1975])

'·';!'1