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).