<<< back :::
"The achievements of Gardzienice come us a wonderful gift one of the few essential theater companies working anywhere in the world today."
Susan Sontag (Note to the book: A.Hodge, W.Staniewski "Hidden Territories: the Theatre of Gardzienice" Routledge, Londyn 2003)
CENTRE FOR THEATRE PRACTICES ,,GARDZIENICE''
Gardzienice Theatre was founded by Włodzimierz Staniewski in 1977 in a tiny village In rural Eastern Poland, however, performances and workshops have taken Gardzienice abroud to theatres and festivals all around the world and the name of Gardzienice village become one of the most important places on the map of world theatre.
The most significant productions of "Gardzienice" are "Gargantua and Pantagruel" by Francois Rabelais, ,,The Sorcery'' according to Adam Mickiewicz's "Forefathers' Eve", "The Life of the Archpriest Avvakum" based on the Russian epos written in the XVIIth century by Avvakum himself, "Carmina Burana" based on Middle Ages poetry and music, "Metamorphoses" according to Lucius Apuleius, "Elektra" and "Iphigenia at A." both based on Euripides.
The distinctive interpretations of Gardzienice's last performances are the result of years of extensive training and research on ancient Greek music and iconography.
In 1997 Włodzimierz Staniewski founded Academy for Theatre Practices (co-operating with Mariusz Gołaj). The work-sessions given for theatre practitioners are based on the system developed during thirty years of practice and research. The work with students is incorporating the literature, visual art and music of ancient Greece directly into their training and individual creations.
Master classes, lectures and workshops were given by Włodzimierz Staniewski and his actors in many prestigious universities, theatres and theatre schools all over the world; Theatre Conservatoire in Paris, Yale University, Columbia University, New York University, Stanford University, Getty Centre in Los Angeles, Meyerhold Centre in Moscow, National Theatre Studio in London, Magdalen College (Oxford), Barbican Centre (London), Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, National Theatre School in Athens, Waseda University (Tokyo), Hongkong Academy of Performing Arts, Tel Aviv University's Department of Theatre Arts and others.
Włodzimierz Staniewski
Born in 1950 in Bardo on the Nysa River, Poland he worships his native region with the belief that man's character is strongly influenced by the configuration of his native land.
In 1977 Staniewski formally founded his theatre under the name Centre for Theatre Practices 'Gardzienice'. Today this center is world famous and Staniewski's method of acting known as 'the ecology of theatre', has been numbered among the most important of the 20th century.
Staniewski's work and practice have been described in number of books (among the others: 'Twentieth's Century Actor's Training' by Alison Hodge, 'Gardzienice - Polish Theatre in Transition' by Paul Allain) and encyclopedias (Encyclopedia of Polish Scholary Publishing House, Illustrated History of Theatre edited by John Russelbrown - Oxford University Press, Teater Historia edited by Carl Gustav Peterson).
Together with Alison Hodge he has published a book Hidden Territories - the theatre of Gardzienice (Routledge, London).
