Spring 2025 Diane’s newest book:

Source Work for Actors: In Workshop with Zbigniew Cynkutis of Grotowski’s Laboratory Theatre will be released as part of the University of Chicago and Seagull Press “Enactments” performance series

Stay tuned here for updates on Book Release Events and online discussions Or Follow the Facebook Page

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The legacy of Polish theatre director Jerzy Grotowski comes to life in this personal account of a workshop/intensive with Laboratory Theatre master actor Zbigniew Cynkutis. The book provides a rare window into the actor training and performance practices of one of the most influential and revolutionary theatres of the twentieth century.

Drawing from extensive notes and recordings made during Cynkutis’s last workshop in the U.S., Edgecomb’s Source Work for Actors takes us to the heart of the workshop experience as a young actor determined to make this process her own. Cynkutis’s voice and presence are palpable throughout the book as he guides a group of actors to a deep understanding of his artistic philosophy and craft. Stimulated by a developing series of tasks, Laboratory Theatre training exercises, and by Cynkutis’s startling demonstrations, the group is challenged to bring their whole selves to the work and to reimagine what is possible in theatre.

The intensive proceeds from exercises familiar to those who have studied Grotowski to explorations of dramatic text and character, revealed here for the first time, that draw from theatre sources based in the primal energies of nature. Those who have been mystified by academic writings on the work of the Laboratory Theatre will find this personal story refreshing and accessible, filled with advice and exercises grounded in the rich conversational style of a charismatic master actor. Links to audio files of Cynkutis speaking as he leads the work lend an invaluable, immersive element to the book.

This compelling volume bears witness to the power of a deeply visceral form of theatre and illustrates why the work of Grotowski and his actors have had such a profound impact on generations of theatre artists. It is sure to stimulate students, challenge directors and inspire innovative work.

Diane Edgecomb
An award-winning theatre artist and storyteller of mythic, original and personal tales, Edgecomb’s writings also include the first English volume of Kurdish folktales gathered in Kurdistan’s mountains. She has performed with ensembles: Stage One Theatre Lab and Double Edge Theatre and continued her development of Cynkutis’s teachings with her solo performance Restraints. Immersive workshops accompany her varied touring solo shows.