Abstract

This dissertation explicates the metaphysical side of Jerzy Grotowski's work. The aim of this study is to analyze and define the central concepts of Grotowski's theatrical and post-theatrical experiments in order to position Grotowski's metaphysics and method in contemporary Euro-Asian mysticism. Using the teachings of the twentieth century thinker and spiritual teacher, Jiddu Krishnamurti, the study aims to promote a richer understanding of the nature and aim of Grotowski's work. ;"Self-purification" has been the objective and ultimate goal of all Grotowski's experimental projects. Krishnamurti's definition, analysis, and teachings on "self-knowledge," "total freedom," "via negativa," "total act," "state of the unknown," and "the pure man" can illuminate the underlying aim of Grotowski's various experiments. ;This dissertation initiates an effort to show how Krishnamurti's metaphysics, as a theory and practice of freedom and enlightenment, can guide and deepen our understanding of Grotowski's various artistic experiments in a way that will invite a fresh understanding and a more clear defined concept of the pure man