RICHARD THOMAS

Born in 1962, American performer, actor, director. Son of the director Lloyd Richards.
During his studies at Yale, where he was awarded his bachelor degree, he encountered
Ryszard Cielak, while in summer 1984 he was among a group of students who
participated in workshops lasting several days as part of the Objective Drama project. In
1985 he became a member of its reconfigured executive group and worked with
Grotowski on Main Action. Subsequently, in 1986, he moved together with Grotowski
to Italy and in a relatively short time came to be considered his essential collaborator.
Initially Grotowski and Richards work had an individual character connected to the
performative structures bearing the working title Song Action (this structure later
became a central element of Downstairs Action) and Pool Action. This action took the
form of a transmission and was connected to the decision taken at the time to make
Richards the leader of the group and then Grotowskis successor and artistic heir. A
particular kind of relationship developed between the artists, one that might be
described as a relationship between an experienced master transmitting his knowledge
to an exceptionally talented student. Gradually Richards took on the role of the leader of
the group working on Downstairs Action, in which he was also the main doer. The
results of this work brought about the crystallisation of Action and the creation of
Action, of which Richards was the main creator. Recognising his key role in the
Workcenters activities, Grotowski changed its name in 1996 to Workcenter of Jerzy
Grotowski and Thomas Richards. Following Grotowskis death in 1999, Richards took
over as director of the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards and
together with Mario Biagini he is considered Grotowskis universal heir. In the
following years he continued the activities in the field of Art as vehicle, developing and
gradually structuring the action The Letter (presented between 2003 and 2006 as a
Work in Progress titled The Twins: Action in creation and Action in creation). Together
with Mario Biagini he directed the performances One Breath Left (19982002) and
Dies Irae (20042006). Since 2008 he has directed the work of the Focused Research
Team in Art as Vehicle on the performative structure Living Room, which is a further
exploration in the field of Art as vehicle (locating this form of activity in the domestic
sphere and domestic space). Alongside his practical work, Richard also develops
academic theorisation on the experiments he is conducting. He was awarded a Masters
degree from the University of Bologna and a Doctorate from the Universit Paris 8. He
is the author of At Work with Grotowski on Physical Actions (1993); The Edge-Point of
Performance (with Lisa Wolford, 1997) and Heart of Practice: Within the Workcenter
of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards (2008).
Bibliography:
Thomas Richards: Pracujc z Grotowskim nad dziaaniami fizycznymi.
Wprowadzenie oraz esej Od zespou teatralnego do sztuki jako wehikuu Jerzego
Grotowskiego, przeoyli Andrzej Wojtasik, Magda Zotowska, Krakw 2003.
Thomas Richards: Punkt graniczny przedstawienia, rozmawiaa Lisa Wolford, przeoy
Artur Przybysawski, konsultowaa Magda Zotowska, przekad zredagowa i do druku
przygotowa Grzegorz Zikowski, Wrocaw 2004.

Kris Salata, Towards the Non-(Re)presentational Acor: From Grotowski to Richards,

TDR: The Drama Review. The Journal for Performance Studies, Summer 2008 52:2 T
198, pp. 107125.