Grotowski the famous polish director meets India

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A production from Pondicherry University performing Art Dpt. & Surya Performance Lab (an activity under AV art Service)

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Directed by Philippe Pelen Baldini
assisted by Thierry Moucazambo and Gopal Dalami

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''Why do we sacrifice so much energy to our art? to learn to break down the barriers which surround us and to free ourselves from the breaks which hold us back, from the lies about ourselves which we manufacture daily for ourselves and for others; to destroy the limitations caused by our ignorance and lack of courage; in short, to fill the emptiness in us: to fulfil ourselves. It is a process in which what is dark in us slowly becomes transparent.''

-J. Grotowski

Jerzy Grotowski, the famous Polish director stands with Stanislavsky, Meyerhold, and Brecht as one of the great figures of twentieth-century theatre.  He encountered, touched, and changed the lives of thousands of individuals and has dramatically changed the practice of theatrical art in the world.

He is the founder of the theory of "Poor Theatre", a Theatre that values the body of the actor and its relation with the spectator and does away with costumes, decor, and music.

Grotowski’s connection to India was pivotal in the development of his work and being. He journeyed many times in India where he met deeply Mother and the teachings of Sri Aurobindo, he was touched by Arunashalla and Ramana Maharishi. His theater changed totally after seeing traditional forms of theatre in India like Therukuttu (from Tamil Nadu), Theyyam and Kathakali from Kerala, Baul dance from Bengal.

This play is an evocation of his inner transformation and "illumination" in India.