ABOUT ME
prof. dr hab. MIROSŁAW KOCUR
Theatre director and scholar, previously civil engineer. He took his MS (1979) in the Civil Engineering Department at the Wroclaw University of Technology, his MFA (1986) in the Department of Play Directing at the Theatre Academy of Cracow and his PhD (1999) in the Department of Philology at the University of Wrocław, Poland. His doctorate, “Practice of the Ancient Theatre”, was the basis for a critically acclaimed book Ancient Greek Theatre (in Polish, Teatr antycznej Grecji, Wrocław 2001). It was awarded the 2001 Academic Book Award (Ministry of Education and Sport) and the Best Book of 2001 Award (Brilliant of the Year).
His habilitation work on theatricalities of ancient Rome, titled In the Reign of Theatre: Actors and Spectators in Ancient Rome (in Polish We władzy teatru: aktorzy i widzowie w antycznym Rzymie, Wroclaw University Press, Wroclaw 2005) was also highly acclaimed and won the prestigious Wojciech Boguslawski Award (Polish Section of the International Association of Theatre Critics).
He is also an author of two books on the medieval theatre in England: “The Second Birth of Theatre: Performances of Anglo-Saxon Monks” (in Polish Drugie narodziny teatru: Performse anglosaskich mnichów, Wroclaw University Press, Wroclaw 2010; English edition Peter Lang 2016) and “Theatre without Theatre: Performances in East England in the Late Middle Ages” (in Polish Teatr bez teatru: Performanse w Angli Wschodniej u schyłku średniowiecza, Grotowski Institute, Wroclaw 2012).
His most recent book “On the Origins of Theatre”, Peter Lang 2016 (in Polish “Źródła teatru”, Wroclaw University Press, Wroclaw 2013) was a recipient of the Annual Best Scholar Book Award and is accompanied by the website: www.zrodlateatru.pl
He designed and built many bridges in Poland’s South; directed happenings, theatre productions and para-theatrical events in the Polish province; participated in many workshops at the Jerzy Grotowski’s Laboratory Theatre; directed the Second Studio of Wrocław (former site of the Laboratory Theatre, 1987-1990) and was the Artistic Director of the “Broken Walls” Festival of Eastern European Drama in Northern California (1991). In 2005 he was awarded a Fulbright Research Scholarship at the Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, Georgia. He directed plays professionally and lectured extensively in Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, Greece and in the USA.
Since the 1980’s he’s been writing extensively on theatre, history of ideas and culture (co-author of the books: How to live?, Warszawa 1999, and Reconstructing theatres, Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw 2004).
Currently he serves as Director of Cultural Studies Institute at the University of Wrocław and teaches at the Theatre Academy of Cracow, Division in Wrocław (Acting and Directing).