Abstract
Grotowski concludes that theatre can exist without sets, without costumes, without music and without light effects and even without text. The argument in support of this surprising thesis comes from the very history of the theatre. In the evolution of theatrical art, the text was one of the last elements to be added. The theatre cannot exist without actors, not even the puppet theatre, behind the stage being hidden another manipulative actor. Furthermore, it cannot exist without the audience. Consequently, following the successive eliminations, only two elements remain: the actor and the audience.