Henryk Tomaszewski during the rehearsals, 60s by Edward HatrwigWroclaw Mime Theatre
Henryk Tomaszewski
... is a founder and artistic director of Wroclaw Mime Theatre (between 1956 - 1958 known as Mime Studio at Dramatyczny [Drama] Theatre in Wrocław) starting with Program I formed characteristic features of his understanding of pantomime that now we call Polish School of Mime.
Pantomime Group
From the very beginning, Tomaszewski consistently built the style of a unique phenomenon in world culture - group pantomime theatre. Collective performences have become one of the most markable changes in the art of mime.
One of the first rehearsals in Tomaszewski's Mime Studio
Full-scale performances
"Pantomime as a theater must have a basis - a plot, a story, a narrative" said Tomaszewski.
Starting from Programme X Departure of Faust, all of them were full-length performances he called choreodramas.
Henryk Tomaszewski during rehearsal (1) by Marek GrotowskiWroclaw Mime Theatre
The role of mime
Tomaszewski introduced the character's intentionality and psychological motivation, thanks to which full-fledged acting creations were created. He noticed, that the movement of a mime is more subordinated to the content, dramatic action, and the character it creates than dancer.
Action - A Midsummer Night's Dream, rehearsal (1986) by Tadeusz DrankowskiWroclaw Mime Theatre
The theatre of movement
Movement, flow and pace became for Master the key means of building the stage action and the dramatic load. It was thanks to them that the group pantomime was able to create the art he saw in his imagination. "A man in motion manifests himself in his purest form" he used to say.
From the beginning, he collaborated with the most outstanding Polish stage designers (J. Przeradzka, Z. de Ines, K. Wiśniak, F. Starowieyski, A. Majewski, W. Wigura).
I go, group scene (1963) by Stefan ArczyńskiWroclaw Mime Theatre
Not only a mime makes pantomime
He was aware that the action of the performance can absorb attention in various ways, that audience can be influenced through music and rhythm, harmony, chaos, color and sound, movement and stillness therefore he also entrusted a significant role to the visual setting and music.
Literature, myths, and culture-biased pantomime
He turned away from the French tradition of pure mime, conducted a multi-directional formal search, penetrated wide areas of literature, myths and culture, making them the basis of his performances.
Rehearsal for The Prodigal Son (1983) (1983) by Tadeusz DrankowskiWroclaw Mime Theatre
He was interested in total theater, saturated with signs and symbols, referring to the deeper layers of our cultural, philosophical, ritual consciousness.
He referred to culture-creating myths & literature
with which he commented on the present. He worked on, among others: The Hunchback of Notre Dane by Victor Hugo, The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol, The Prodigal Son, Orpheus in search of Euridice, King Arthur's Knights.
He seeked an inspiration in the roots and forms of the theatre of the East, commedia dell'Arte and silent movies.
The conflict
"Every movement, even the simplest, the most elementary, has a dramatic effect. Even simply stretching out your hand becomes, in a sense, a drama due to the fact that the hand collides with space, overcomes its resistance; So here we have a counterpoint, a conflict situation" H.T
Henryk Tomaszewski on Europe tourneeWroclaw Mime Theatre
What he was particularly interested in were the contradictions of human character, an attitude that emerges in emergencies when the characters must choose between them.
"I see my theatre spherically"
He called his theatre "spherical". The focus of it was always a human and artistic capabilities of the movements.
Rehearsals to Tragic games (1999) by Marek GrotowskiWroclaw Mime Theatre
"The plant I have planted may grow differently, but it will most certainly live", once said Tomaszewski.
Till now Wroclaw Mime Theatre performs, continues and develops the work of the Master, as well as remaining the only repertoire pantomime theater in Poland.
The article uses photos by Stefan Arczyński at courtesy of the Wrocław City Museum.
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