Acting after Grotowski

Acting After Grotowski goes to the heart of the actor's work: not merely why we act, nor how, but, rather, the foundational inseparability of these two questions. Ranging freely across disciplines, from theatre, to philosophy, to religious studies, to neuroscience, Salata investigates the Grotowski Question - for whom do I perform? - seeking answers in both the legacy of practice embodied in the contemporary investigations of the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards, and in Grotowski's own writings on two key, hitherto under-examined, concepts: the secure partner and carnal prayer. Rooting his analysis in a phenomenological approach to the scholar's act of bearing witness, Salata has written a groundbreaking, interdisciplinary work which speaks to multiple audiences: theatre artists, theatre scholars, and philosophers concerned with the nature of human encounter, and performance as embodied philosophical praxis. Dr. Kathryn Mederos Syssoyeva, author/editor: A History of Collective Creation, Collective Creation in Collective Performance, and Women, Collective Creation, and Devised Performance. Acting after Grotowski looks at the core question of Jerzy Grotowski's work, For whom do I perform? Salata (Florida State Univ.) uses a cross-disciplinary approach to examine the practical work from the famous Workcenter and Grotowski's writings on the carnal prayer and the secure partner. Weaving together philosophy, theory, performance, ritual, religious studies, and phenomenology, Salata explores the idea of acting as a self-revelatory action. He seeks to bridge the secular and religious by positing that theater and ritual share the idea of play. This brief book is packed with information, first-person accounts, and points to ponder. Though the author does an excellent job relating Grotowski postmodern acting practice, those with a good foundation in Grotowski's theory will connect best with the material. The writing is accessible for those schooled in theoretical study but will challenge the beginning actor or casual reader. As Salata readily observes, the progression of the book is nonlinear and polymorphous, an additional reading challenge. But this book will be a gold mine for those knowledgeable about acting theory. --E. C. Skiles, Lone Star College-Kingwood