ABSTRACT
This book is a case-study of the Gardzienice Theatre Association of Poland, for which most of the research was conducted from April 1989 to the end of 1993. This was a period of great social and political change in Eastern Europe, symbolised by the fall of the Berlin wall in November 1989. Theatre may respond to certain social needs and may channel public concerns. It was such a relationship which originally meant that Gardzienice’s activities engaged a specific community, had a particular performance style and a group ethos which was reflected in their theories. Their work was rooted in contact with a particular audience-initially ethnic minorities in Polish border villages-and their performances were created from folk material gathered in rural areas. The company returned to such remote communities to present performances so that the collection of artistic source material and presentation of product were integrated and simultaneous.
