The Principles of Poor Theatre

Question 1

What did Grotowski believe about ‘rich’ theatre?

Answer 1

• the ‘rich’ is one that is rich in faults
• it draws upon other disciplines but fails to produce a work of art that has integrity

Question 2

What does the Rich Theatre do in its attempt to compete with film and television?

Answer 2

• uses mechanical devices more appropriate for film & television

Question 3

What do Rich Theatre conventions include?

Answer 3

• realistic 3-dimesnional scenery
• multitude of props
• separate performance area (most commonly the proscenium arch stage)
• accurate costuming
• detailed make-up
• realistic lighting
• realistic sound effects
• Stanislavskian acting

Question 4

What did Grotowski propose?

Answer 4

• ‘poverty in the theatre’ (poor theatre)
• in which a new space is designed for actors and spectators for each new work

Question 5

What did Grotowski do in his ‘Poor Theatre’ in terms of makeup?

Answer 5

• eliminated makeup
• insisted that the actors’ physical flexibility is infinitely more interesting than costumes or makeup

Question 6

What did Grotowski do in his ‘Poor Theatre’ in terms of costuming?

Answer 6

• wanted simple costumes that were purely functional

Question 7

What did Grotowski do in his ‘Poor Theatre’ in terms of lighting?

Answer 7

• had no elaborate lighting
• he proposed that direct lighting and shadows can be utilised effectively without the need for elaborate lighting schemes and mechanisms

Question 8

What did Grotowski do in his ‘Poor Theatre’ in terms of sound?

Answer 8

• insisted that any music or sound effects be produced only by the actors themselves

Question 9

What did Grotowski do in his ‘Poor Theatre’ in terms of props?

Answer 9

• limited, multi-functional props
• restricted to only those indispensable to the action
• these were called ‘neutral’ props

Question 10

What did Grotowski do in his ‘Poor Theatre’ in terms of the theatre space?

Answer 10

• used a space that could be rearranged for various productions

Question 11

What did Grotowski believe was required for theatre to take place?

Answer 11

• the actor
• the audience
• a space

Question 12

What did Grotowski believe was theatre’s unique quality and what did he refer to it as?

Answer 12

• the possibility for direct contact, togetherness, and dialogue between the actors and the audience
• he referred to this as the direct, live communion between performers and spectators

Question 13

What did Grotowski believe that theatre could not exist without?

Answer 13

• he believed that theatre could not exist without the actor-spectator relationship