From researching into the styles of three very diverse and innovative directors,

Jerzy Grotowski, Vsevolod Meyerhold and Peter Brook, I have come to the
conclusion that they all have a approach to Theatre that seeks to provoke the
thoughts of the audience. Whether this be for just shock value or for an actual
sentimental purpose which was set to change the opinions of the audience.
Understanding that Jerzy Grotowski was a pioneer and driving force of the
avant garde movement of the 20th Century, its evident that his approach to
theatre was all about the aspect of experimentation. Hes conceptual idea of
poor theatre which executed the stripping back of all articial elements inside
the performance (such as the costume, set etc.), proved to change how the
audience saw the Actors inside the performance. The Actors were left with just
themselves and their own natural resources when performing to a live audience.
Its as if Jerzy Grotowski wanted to strengthen the Actors ability to perform
without relying on secondary resources to aid their performance. He proved that
Theatre can exist without elaborate resources that do help create a sense of
spectacle, but do not necessarily help the Actor perform or resonate inside the
performance. The techniques of Jerzy Grotowski have clearly inspired a lot of
modern day techniques. The prime example being the act of rehearsing and
performing in all black clothing, which is an aesthetic that is still widely practiced
inside Theatre companies and Theatre training institutes.
Taking what I have learnt about Jerzy Grotowskis approach to Directing, I
have found that Peter Brookes style is somewhat similar. Peter Brook also
approached Theatre with a much more realistic and simplied mentality.
Although Peter Brook worked vigorously with stripped and bare spaces, allowing
the audience to use their imagination to interpret the performance, it still echoes
the simplicity of Jerzy Grotowskis approach. The fact that Peter Brook
incorporated some intriguing pieces of costume and props into his productions,
doesnt take away the fact that he shared a similar opinion to that of Jerzy
Grotowski, that the Actor should simply work with what they have naturally and
should not be upstaged by the surroundings. Its clear that Jerzy Grotowski
acted as a clear inuence inside Peter Brooks approach to directing. I believe
that Peter Brook helped sustain the concept of simplicity inside the Theatre by
taking Jerzy Grotowskis techniques, relating to them and ultimately applying
them to the new Theatre that he was creating throughout the late 20th century.
They both seemed to rebel against the techniques opposed during the 19th
century, in which they felt the basis of the literature was always lost inside the
performance. Both Jerzy Grotowski and Peter Brook have become well known
for trying to breathe life into the literature and dissect all aspects of it, in order to
present a realistic, truthful and captivating rendition of the source material.
When moving on to the aesthetic and directional approach of Vsevolod
Meyerhold its clearly there is a clear contrast between his approach and the
approach of both Jerzy Grotowski and Peter Brook. Vsevolod Meyerhold
seemed to believe theatre should have a sense of fantasy and should not
necessarily mirror reality in a honest and relatable way. He believed that the
aspects of the performance should contrast the norm and be exaggerated
through his own decisive theatrical techniques. All aspects of his approach to
Theatre were heightened, in order to create a much more diverse reception
amongst the audience. It seemed as if he wanted to present a much more easily
accesible type of Theatre to the audience. The type of Theatre that Vsevolod
Meyerhold created was a type of Theatre that was set to inspire the audience
with its elaborate concepts and visuals. It was made to inspire the audience and
provoke their way of seeing things. His use of experimentation was seen to be
very provocative and seen to be very unconventional, therefore having a very
profound effect on the modern Theatre at the time.
With Vsevolod Meyerhold clearly contrasting the styles of Jerzy Grotowski
and Peter Brook, I have realised that the approach of Vsevolod Meyerhold was
somewhat built around visually transmitting ideas to an audience in a literal form,
whereas Jerzy Grotowskis and Peter Brooks approach was much more about
creating work that enabled the audience to visualise the performance in their
own individual way. The words complex and literal play a great part in
comparing these two contrasting styles. In actuality, they are both complex and
literal, simply because they are either presenting something in a literal sense but
still allowing the audience to use their imagination in a complex way, or they are
presenting something elaborate in a creative sense which allows complex
thoughts to be provoked, but its still very literal by the way in which its feeding
the audience and not allowing them to interpret the performance differently.
Differences aside, its clear that Jerzy Grotowski, Peter Brook and Vsevolod
Meyerhold can all be considered to be major innovators inside the Theatre
industry. Although their approaches to creating Theatre differed in their sense of
complexity or realism, as Directors, they still achieved the goal of making
Theatre that would provoke the thoughts of the audience. Their techniques have
clearly inspired the works of many modern day Directors who still use their
techniques inside their own work. They all have the aspect of being
unconventional in common, which has more than likely inspired a lot of artists
inside the Performing Arts industry who are trying to rebel against what is
perceived to be conventional or normal.