Jerzy Marian Grotowski was born on August 11, 1931, in Rzeszow, Poland. Grotowski studied at Krakow's Theatre School from 1951 to 1955, while simultaneously studying eastern philosophy. He also investigated the styling of Russia's directional masterminds and believed Konstantin Stanislavsky to be of the utmost importance.
             In 1956, Grotowski enrolled in the directing program at Karkow's Theatre School. His extra-curricular activities included an anti-Stalinist youth movement. He also chose Mahatma Gandhi as his new role model. Later on, he became an instructor at the school from 1957 through 1959. During this period he produced several theatre and art philosophical-oriented articles. His professional directing debut was the co-staging of Eugene Ionesco's The Chairs in 1957. Grotowski's Master's degree project was an unconventional staging (including masks) of The woman is a devil also in 1957. This was the 1st Grotowski production to radically adapt a drama to suit his own purposes- in this case, to make a statement about the younger generation's investigation for a meaning of existence, by rearranging the text and interpolating material from others. He believed, controversially, that a script should be a stimulus for the creation of an independent work of theatre art.
             Grotowski then, perhaps, made his most influential move ever. In 1959, he joined the Laboratory Theatre, the year it was founded. This was a fiercely dedicated acting ensemble, that sought to cut through the strong bonds of the polite literary tradition, to rediscover human drives and conflicts. The actors in the Laboratory theatre undergo grueling exercises to break down the layers of superficial technique and repressions. Every production is considered an original entity and calls for its own playing area and actor audience relationship: the rectangular hall theatre is rearranged according to the dictates of each production. Grotowski often simply relies on his ...