In this fascinating behind-the-scenes examination, members of the legendary Workcenter theatre collective founded by Jerzy Grotowski – who is acclaimed as having revolutionised contemporary theatre and is considered to be one of the most influential theatre practitioners of the 20th century – speak frankly for the first time about their experiences related to the work methods devised by Grotowski, and which were developed by his apprentice and Artistic Director Thomas Richards.
Jerzy Marian Grotowski, who died in 1999 aged 65, was a Polish theatre director and theorist whose innovative approaches to acting, training and theatrical production even now influence contemporary theatre worldwide.
He established the Grotowski Workcenter in 1985 in Pontedera, near Pisa, where he practised his theatre experimentation and practice, continuing to direct training and private theatrical events almost in secret for the last twenty years of his life. This is perhaps what makes Radical Move all the more intriguing, given the notion that so much of the work was developed in private, with questions asked as to whether Workcenter was a workshop or a sect?
After Grotowski’s death, Thomas Richards, his major collaborator, continues within the closed centre, working with a group of actors who are constantly put to the test and driven beyond their boundaries.
The film, which world-premiered at Krakow FF, opens with archival footage of Grotowski discussing his work that pushed theatre to the extreme. As one voice point out, “it is not done to be seen…in some ways it is done to be done.”
The camera then moves to the rehearsal space and personal rooms of the select small group of performers who are bring trained and challenged by Thomas Richards. They are not identified beyond information about where they originally came from. One says: “We are artists from different countries of the world,” adding that one could argue what they do is similar to religious practice. Another adds: “I do theatre because it is my prison…and I’ve been here 10 years. It is both intellectual and cult.”
The story of the journey is balanced alongside footage of their gruelling training, with Richards an tactile and forceful figure as he strives for perfection both for the art and the performers. “The boundaries between me, the space and the song start to blur and become one,” he tells them.
In one sequence he shouts and swears at his student and then walks away. They are quiet and meditative but he calls them back to the table. “You are not doing what I know you can do – it is not okay…we are not where we need to be,” he adds, scribbling on paper to exemplify his thoughts.
The film initially seems to present the actors as solitary and introspective individuals, caught up in the absolute seriousness of their personal artistic journey and barely talking to each other, but at one point slightly punctures this notion with a moment of warmth as one woman exercises to an online class while her male colleague playfully chats to her.
When Covid impacts the Workcenter several of the core members decide to leave. “Work started to take over everything,” says one, “And became more important than the human being involved in it.” The footage of a removal truck heading away from the Workcenter building indicates the end of an era. In January 2022 Richards closed the doors of the Workcenter…but has since gone on to help launch a new artistic operation.
Writing on a website he says: “I am aware that what has been passed to me by my Teacher, Jerzy Grotowski, and which I have developed with the invaluable help of others over the last 35 years, is of great value. With the help of close colleagues, I am setting the foundations for the next phase of my life and work. Welcome to Theatre No Theatre!” This is a new association supporting Thomas Richards’ research on performing arts and sees him assisted by Jessica Losilla-Hébrail and Hyun Ju Baek, both long-term members of the Workcenter.
Poland, 2023, 77mins
Dir/scr: Aniela Astrid Gabryel
Production: Koi Studio
Producers: Agnieszka Skalska, Agnieszka Dziedzic
Cinematography: Zuzanna Kernbach
Editor: Anna Garncarczyk
