HISTORY

Urban Research Theater was founded by Ben Spatz in Wroclaw, Poland in 2004, with support from a Fulbright Fellowship and the Grotowski Institute. The aim of Urban Research Theater has always been the investigation of the relationship between human being and city through performative and other embodied practices.

Since its founding, Urban Research Theater has led over forty public events in the United States and Europe. As a continually evolving ensemble, it can only be defined in terms of those artists who have been part of it at various times. These include:

  • Michele Farbman (2006-2009)
    A practitioner of chanting, meditation, and other forms of internal yoga for over sixteen years, Michele was a core member of Urban Research Theater for three years and played an integral role in the development of our unique approach to song as action.
  • Jonah Dill-D'Ascoli (2009)
  • Izabela Mlynarz and Beata Zalewska (2004-2005)
  • Ania Boratyn and Malgorzata Przedzak (2005)
  • Bartek Bulanda, Kasia Donner, Daniel Jastrzebski, Marek Konopczak, Monika Kuszewska, Barbara Pawlic, Szymon Struzik, Izabela Walkowiak (2004)

For a more detailed history, please visit the URT newsletter archive (2006-2009) at the old Publications page. For more on the artistic context out of which Urban Research Theater was born, visit the old Artistic Family page. The latter contains the most comprehensive list available of artists and ensembles influenced by Jerzy Grotowski.

Urban Research Theater welcomes inquiries and invitations from fellow artists, scholars, practitioners, producers, and fellow travelers in every field.