Timeline of Jerzy Grotowski’s life and creative work

1958

5 January 1958

Venue: Kraków

Lecture titled ‘Filozofia jogi’ (The philosophy of yoga), the fourth in Grotowski’s cycle ‘O podstawach filozofii hinduskiej’ held at Teatr 38

12 January 1958

Venue: Kraków

Lecture titled ‘Filozofia Upaniszad – system Siankary’ (The philosophy of The Upanishads – Shankara’s systems), the fifth in Grotowski’s cycle ‘O podstawach filozofii hinduskiej’ held at Teatr 38.

17 January 1958

Venue: Kraków

Lecture titled ‘Filozofia Upaniszad – system Ramanudży’ (The philosophy of The Upanishads: Ramanuja’s system), the sixth in Grotowski’s cycle ‘O podstawach filozofii hinduskiej’ held at Teatr 38.

26 January 1958

Venue: Kraków

Lecture titled ‘Szkoły współczesne’ (Contemporary schools of thought), the seventh in Grotowski’s cycle ‘O podstawach filozofii hinduskiej’ held at Teatr 38.

29 March 1958

Venue: Kraków

Premiere of Michel de Ghelderode’s Pantagleize at Teatr Kameralny directed by Jerzy Kaliszewski with Grotowski as assistant director.

30 March 1958

Venue: Kraków

The first in Grotowski’s cycle of lectures titled ‘Filozoficzna myśl orientalna: Podstawowe systemy filozofii chińskiej’ (Oriental philosophical thought: The basic systems of Chinese philosophy) held at Teatr 38.

4 April 1958

Venue: Kraków

The second in Grotowski’s cycle of lectures titled ‘Filozoficzna myśl orientalna: Podstawowe kierunki filozofii japońskiej’ (Oriental philosophical thought: The basic directions in Japanese philosophy) held at Teatr 38.

13 April 1958

Venue: Kraków

The third in Grotowski’s cycle of lectures titled ‘Filozoficzna myśl orientalna: Konfucjusz’ (Oriental philosophical thought: Confucius) held at Teatr 38.

20 April 1958

Venue: Kraków

The fourth in Grotowski’s cycle of lectures titled ‘Filozoficzna myśl orietnalna: Taoizm (charakterystyka ogólna)’ (Oriental philosophical thought: Taoism [a general outline]) held at Teatr 38.

27 April 1958

Venue: Kraków

The fifth in Grotowski’s cycle of lectures titled ‘Filozoficzna myśl orientalna: Taoizm (Kanon filozoficzny: Lao-tsy, Czuang-tsy, “Lie-tsy”)’ (Oriental philosophical thought: Taoism [The philosophical canon: Lao Tzu, Zhuangzi, Lee Tzu]) held at Teatr 38.

May 1958

Venue: Kraków

Grotowski is assistant director to Halina Gryglaszewska on the diploma performance of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible at The State Drama School (PWST).

11 May 1958

Venue: Kraków

The sixth in Grotowski’s cycle of lectures titled ‘Filozoficzna myśl orientalna: Filozofia Zen (Zen-Buddyzm)’ (Oriental philosophical thought: Zen philosophy [Zen-Buddhism]) held at Teatr 38.

18 May 1958

Venue: Kraków

The seventh in Grotowski’s cycle of lectures titled ‘Filozoficzna myśl orientalna: Podstawowe kierunki filozofii indyjskiej’ (Oriental philosophical thought: The basic directions in Indian philosophy) held at Teatr 38.

25 May 1958

Venue: Kraków

The eighth in Grotowski’s cycle of lectures titled ‘Filozoficzna myśl orientalna: Filozofia Adwaita-wedanty’ (Oriental philosophical thought: The philosophy of Advaita-Vedanta) held at Teatr 38.

June 1958

Venue: Kraków

The premiere of the fourth-year students’ diploma piece directed by Grotowski – a version of Prosper Mérimée’s A Woman is a Devil.

1 June 1958

Venue: Kraków

The ninth in Grotowski’s cycle of lectures titled ‘Filozoficzna myśl orientalna: Analogie europejskie’ (Oriental philosophical thought: European analogies) held at Teatr 38.

8 June 1958

Venue: Kraków

Premiere of Grotowski’s adaptation of Mark Twain’s humorous short story The Stolen White Elephant for Polish Radio.

20 June 1958

Venue: Kraków

First broadcast of the radio play directed by Grotowski based on Kalidasa’s Shakuntalā, which later wins a prize at the annual television and radio awards.

22 June 1958

Venue: Kraków

First broadcast of the radio play directed by Grotowski Małżeństwo, pięć obrazów radiowych (Marriage: five radio images) based on works by Theodore Dreiser, Zona Gale, Booth Tarkington, Julian Street and James Hopper.

Summer 1958

Venue: Prague and Karlovy Vary

Grotowski participates in Emil F. Burian’s Theatre Seminar.

4 July 1958

Venue: Kraków

Premiere of Bogowie deszczu (Gods of Rain) at Teatr Kameralny, an original adaptation of Jerzy Krzysztoń’s drama Rodzina pechowców (The Ill-Fated Family), prepared and directed by Grotowski.

2 October 1958

Venue: Kraków

The Journalists’ Club hosts a discussion on the subject of Bogowie deszczu.

8 November 1958

Venue: Opole

Premiere of a second version of Krzysztoń’s Rodzina pechowców, this time titled Pechowcy (The Ill-Fated) and presented by Grotowski at the studio Theatre of 13 Rows.

late December 1958

Grotowski embarks on a journey to Switzerland and France: he notes some of his impressions in articles published in the Polish press (‘Impresje zapisane w Szwajcarii’ [Notes from Switzerland], Dziennik Polski, no. 3–4 (3 January) 1959 pp. 3 and 7; ‘Mim i świat’ [The mime artist and the world], personal correspondence from Paris, Ekran, no. 10, 8 March 1959, p. 9; ‘Korespondencja ze świątyni Ahura Mazdy’ [Correspondence from the shrine of Ahura Mazda], Argumenty, no. 12, 22 March 1959, p. 6).