Mercedes Gregory (1936-1992) was executive director and founder of A Bunch of Experimental Theaters in the 1970s, an umbrella which included some of the finest experimental theater companies of that period; Andre Gregory’s Manhattan Project, Richard Schechner’s Performance Group, Charles Ludlum’s Theater of The Ridiculous, Meredith Monk, Richard Foreman, among others.
Towards the end of the 70s Mercedes Gregory began to experiment with documentary film. Under the guidance of close friend and world renown director, Jerzy Grotowski, she began to document Grotowski’s theatrical research, later recording his first ventures in Art As Vehicle.
Married for over 30 years to Avant Garde Theater director Andre Gregory, Mercedes Gregory’s archive is an intimate look at both Grotowski’s work and her life with Andre.
The recently digitized Mercedes Gregory Archive resides at The University Of Southern California in their world renown film Library. The Fund includes films of Grotowski’s work and previously unseen filmed interviews. Marina Gregory acts as a bridge between Grotowski’s work and present theatrical relevancy, both from her study under Andre Gregory and the almost decade long performative work as a leading actress with Grotowski’s company, Workcenter. Presently Ms. Gregory is involved in editing the unscreened footage for public presentation. Donations towards this work are welcome.