Kantor, The Dead Class

A major work, The Dead Class by Tadeusz Kantor was first performed in Kraków in 1975. It is considered one of the most innovative and influential works of twentieth-century theatre. On stage, Kantor directs the « dramatic séance ». Elderly men return to their school desks after many years, carrying backpacks and mannequins – figures of the aged men’s childhoods. A pivotal work, The Dead Class is the culmination of earlier experiments and lessons learned by Kantor and the first performance of the Theatre of Death. Written by Marie-Thérèse Vido-Rzewuska, a leading expert on Kantor’s theatre, this book features an introduction to The Dead Class, more than 50 photographs by Jacquie Bablet (most of them unpublished) and a bibliography. Rewind presents a collection of studies on the greatest works and most prominent figures of contemporary theatre. Each book is based on an extensive iconographic research of previously unpublished materials.