Tree of People [Drzewo Ludzi]

the final project by the Laboratory Theatre group belonging to active culture. Described as a ‘stream-work’ [dzieło-rzeka], it comprised a series of improvised actions by participants working under the direction of members of the group (Elizabeth Albahaca, Ryszard Cieślak, Zbigniew Cynkutis, Ludwik Flaszen, Antoni Jahołkowski, Zbigniew Kozłowski, Rena Mirecka, Zygmunt Molik, Teresa Nawrot, Irena Rycyk i Stanisław Scierski). It took a form somewhere between a workshop and a performance. The first presentations took place in Wrocław between 4 and 12 January 1979, following which Tree of People was realised during the group’s performances in Italy, the United Kingdom and France, as well as in Poland. Grotowski did not participate in work on the piece. The final event as part of this cycle took place in Palermo in the spring of 1981. In creating it, some of the discoveries from The Vigils were employed, as were elements from some members’ individual projects (including Zygmunt Molik’s Acting Therapy and Zbigniew Cynkutis’ Events [Zdarzenia]). The group’s final collective piece, Polish Thanatos: Incantations emerged from the work on Tree of People.