ADMISSION:
Admission is free. Reservations required. RSVP beginning Wednesday, August 29, at 9 a.m.

USC Students, Staff, and Faculty: RSVP
USC Alumni: RSVP
General Public: RSVP

DESCRIPTION:
Theatre artist Marina Gregory celebrates legendary twentieth-century avant-garde director Jerzy Grotowski. Grotowski is well known for his book, Towards a Poor Theatre, which transformed theatre by changing the relationship between actor and audience. Join us for a screening of With Jerzy Grotowski, Nienadówka, 1980, by Mercedes Gregory, which follows Grotowski’s return to the small village of Nienadówka, Poland, where he was hidden as a child during the Nazi occupation.

Mercedes Gregory was Grotowski’s close collaborator and sole documentarian for over a decade until her death in 1992. Her film, Nienadowka, premiered at Lincoln Center in 2009, the year UNESCO dedicated to celebrate the renowned Polish director. Marina is pleased to share her mother’s work with a screening at USC, followed by a panel discussion with Sharon Carnicke, a critical studies professor in the School of Dramatic Arts,  Andy Robinson, an emeritus professor and creator of the current MFA Acting Program with the School of Dramatic Arts, and moderated by David Bridel, dean of the School of Dramatic Arts.

Grotowksi was teacher and collaborator to both of Marina’s parents, Mercedes and theatre director Andre Gregory. She grew up with Grotowski and worked for almost a decade as a leading actress with his company, Workcenter. She is a founding member of Workcenter’s Open Program, directing its first theatrical exploration. Gregory initially studied directing under her father, Andre, working as an actress in his investigation of Beckett’s Footfalls. She is the recipient of Guild Hall’s 2018 Artist Residency for her play, Home.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by the USC School of Dramatic Arts.