ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a brief chronology of Jerzy Grotowski’s life and work, recognizing the profound impact that both spiritual and religious elements had on the young Grotowski. Grotowski became a highly influential Polish theatre director whose innovative work in experimental theatre has had a profound effect on contemporary theatre throughout the world. Although Richard Schechner suggests Grotowski would undoubtedly scorn the use of the word spiritual, his use of religious language obviously intends to invite comparisons with religious understandings. Some of the religiously oriented language and ideas that Grotowski uses come from Juliusz Osterwa’s work with the Polish Reduta Theatre; although Grotowski took both the concepts and the terminology further into his own unique realms of engagement. A variety of conflicting thoughts on Grotowski’s interface with the practices involved in the New Age abound.
