Cricot 2 was a Polish

experimental theatre Experimental theatre (also known as avant-garde theatre), inspired largely by Wagner's concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, began in Western theatre in the late 19th century with Alfred Jarry and his Ubu plays as a rejection of both the age in particular ...

company based in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

. It was founded in 1955 by the renowned theatre director, professional painter and assemblage artist, avantgarde set designer and art theorist

Tadeusz Kantor Tadeusz Kantor (6 April 1915 – 8 December 1990) was a Polish painter, assemblage and Happenings artist, set designer and theatre director. Kantor is renowned for his revolutionary theatrical performances in Poland and abroad. Laureate of ...

, with artwork in the collections of the National Museum in Kraków and

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. Productions were initially based on dramas by Witkacy, but later plays were genuine creations of Tadeusz Kantor himself.Ośrodek Dokumentacji Sztuki Tadeusza Kantor
Cricoteka

Background

Cricot 2 played in Poland and abroad. The greatest popularity and recognition Cricot 2 received for its original production of the ''Dead Class'' (''Umarła klasa'') of 1975; a new theatrical format invented by Kantor. It was dubbed the "Theatre of Death", a kind of spiritualist séance, evoking sensory images, words and sounds deformed by the passing of time. Based on his personal memories and experiences of

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

, Kantor tried to capture the collective memory of the Polish-Jewish tragedy of mid twentieth century. Kantor created his own unique visual

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

and theatrical ambience impossible to repeat or continue after his death in 1990. Soon thereafter, his last production called ''Dziś są moje urodziny'' (Today is my Birthday) has been completed and performed by the actors without his presence and the company ceased operations, even though the discussions whether or not to continue without him were split.

References

{{authority control Experimental theatre Theatre companies in Poland 1955 establishments in Poland 1991 disestablishments in Poland

Background

See also

References