Tadeusz Kantor (1915-1990) was a Polish dramatist and visual artist, considered among the avant-garde of the previous century. Teacher and playwright André Lefèvre analyzed the creative process of his cycle, “The Theater of Love and Death,” and in particular his production “Wielopole, Wielopole,” as a so-called “dramaturgy of memory.” On April 18, 2012, he will defend his dissertation, “The Passion of Tadeusz Kantor.”
Tadeusz Kantor refused to conform to the social realism prevailing in communist Poland. He incorporated memories from his childhood and experiences of the violence of two world wars into his theater, drawings, paintings, and writings in the form of memory art. Lefèvre focuses on unraveling the cycle, which includes his main theatrical works: “The Dead Class” (1975), “Wielopole, Wielopole” (1980), “Artists Can Suffocate!” (1985), “I Will Never Return Here” (1988), and “Today is My Birthday” (1991).
In this cycle, Kantor sought to evoke memories and bring death among the living through various techniques. He created memory theater that challenged the audience to make moral choices. At the same time, he caused alienation in the audience by being present on and beside the stage. Kantor employed a variety of techniques from the visual arts, such as the tableau, photography, happening, packaging and assemblage, and repetition and duplication.
www.ftn-books.com has one Kantor title available.
