Buddah Still Works— the Work on Oneself Never Ends: Essay on Grotowski
Gioacchino Palumbo
gioacchinopalumbo@gmail.comAcademy of Fine Arts of Catania (Italy)
Giuseppe G. Condorelli
Independent scholar, Misterbianco (Italy)
Abstract
This essay uses the personal recollections of Italian director Gioacchino Palumbo, including the experience of viewing of Apocalypsis cum figuris as well as some personal encounters with Jerzy Grotowski, to present a subjective account of selected aspects of Grotowski’s theatrical and non-theatrical practices, with an emphasis on understanding theatre as a lifelong work on oneself. Palumbo highlights those aspects of Grotowski’s work and quotations from his statements and writings that have contributed to his own development as a theatre artist. Particularly interested in Grotowski’s attitude to diverse sources of inspiration, Palumbo extensively discusses Grotowski’s interview on Gurdjieff, considering it as a representative example of artist’s approach to cultural phenomena that influenced him. The essay is preceded by an introduction in which Giuseppe G. Condorelli presents the original theatrical work of Palumbo, who has been running his own theatre laboratory in Catania since 1981.
Keywords:
Jerzy Grotowski, George Gurdjieff, cultural mobility, Italian theaterReferences
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Authors
Gioacchino Palumbogioacchinopalumbo@gmail.com
Academy of Fine Arts of Catania Italy
Gioacchino Palumbo - Professor at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Catania, he has written and directed for both theatre and film. In 1981 he founded the Teatro del Molo 2 in Catania, where he directs and gives annual courses in acting and physical expression. He has conducted numerous theatre workshops and courses throughout Italy and Europe. Author of four books, including a collection of essays on modern theatre Pionieri del teatro del novecento: Stanislavsky, Mejerchol’d, Artaud, Grotowski (Acireale, 2012).
Authors
Giuseppe G. CondorelliIndependent scholar, Misterbianco Italy
Giuseppe G. Condorelli - teaches Italian literature and history at a high school. He is actively involved in poetry, literary criticism and theatre. He regularly collaborates with Le Monde diplomatique. He has published two volumes of poetry: Criterio del tempo (Bologna, 2008) and N’zuppilu n’zuppilu (Catania, 2016). He lives in Misterbianco, in the province of Catania.
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