Abstract
This chapter hazards the most problematic aspect of contemporary divergent dramaturgy, which woos the eye as much as the ear. Certain Americans have forged influential visual modes in theatre: Peter Schuman of the Bread and Puppet Theatre; Robert Wilson, originally of the Byrd Hoffman Foundation; Richard Schechner of the Performance Group; Richard Foreman of the Ontological Hysteric Theatre; Lee Breuer and JoAnne Akalaitis of the Mabou Mines; and Liz Lecompte of the Wooster Group. All have published scripts, but the text is only one element of these contemporary avatars of Wagner’s Gesamtkunstwerk — arts blended in performance. In traditional terminology they resemble directors rather than dramatists. The critic Bonnie Marranca grouped Breuer, Foreman and Wilson as Theatre of Images, but Foreman and Breuer speak of themselves as playwrights, and both have published collections of their texts, which are beginning to be performed outside their particular theatres, with other casts. Although Breuer and Foreman are steeped in the visual arts, their plays abound in words.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
