Théâtre Sans Argent: The Radical Lineage of Unfunded Theatre
It is easy (read: unimaginative) to think that because theatre isn't funded or expensive or well-attended that it is not successful. It is completely understandable to feel that way as a theatre maker when our society equates financial profit with professional success. Creating theatre with no money does not make an artist a failure; it places us directly into a legendary, radical artistic lineage. Many of history’s greatest theatrical breakthroughs happened precisely because the creators had no money and had to rely purely on imagination, grit, and talent. There is a real-world history and philosophy of the grassroots tradition, a lineage of "poor" theatre. Jerzy Grotowski’s "Towards a Poor Theatre": This Polish director revolutionized modern acting by declaring that theatre should stop trying to compete with the spectacle of film and television. He argued that eliminating lavish costumes, complex lighting...
