Although numerous theatre artists emphasize linkages to Grotowski to legitimize their work, Grotowski himself abandoned theatre at a relatively early stage. Wolford Wylam reflects on Grotowski's efforts to clarify that he entrusted responsibility for continuing his research to Thomas Richards, highlighting Richards's apprenticeship in relation to what Grotowski articulated as “transmission in the traditional sense.” Wolford Wylam considers the importance of the Workcenter's current practice as a step forward in what Grotowski described as the “reopened tradition” of Art as vehicle.