Description
Book SynopsisThis stunning contribution to the field of theatre history is the first in-depth look at avant-garde theatre in the United States from the early 1950s to the 1990s. American Avant-Garde Theatre offers a definition of the avant-garde, and looks at its origins and theoretical foundations by examining:
*Gertrude Stein
*John Cage
*The Beat writers
*Avant-garde cinema
*Abstract Expressionism
*Minimalism
There are fascinating discussions and illustrations of the productions of the Living Theatre, the Wooster Group, Open Theatre, Ontological-Hysteric Theatre and Performance Group. among many others. Aronson also examines why avant-garde theatre declined and virtually disappeared at the end of the twentieth century.
Table of ContentsList of Plates. Preface. Acknowledgements. Chapter 1. Origins of the Avant-Garde Chapter 2. Theories and Foundations Chapter 3. Off Broadway, Happenings, and the Living Thatre Chapter 4. The 1960's: Collectives and Rituals Chapter 5. Smith, Wilson and Foreman Chapter 6. Performance Art (and the origins of the Wooster Group) Chapter 7. The Wooster Group, Reza Abdoh, and the End of the Avant-Garde. Conclusion. Bibliography.
