American Avant-Garde Theatre; Author: Aronson, Arnold; Hardback; Book

Author: Aronson, Arnold
Theatre Production Studies; Hardback; Book; 32 B&w Photographs
256 pages
Published: September 2000
Taylor & Francis Books Ltd
ISBN: 041502580X

This stunning contribution to the field of theatre history is the first in-depth look at avant-garde theatre in the United States between the mid-1950's and the mid 1980's. American Avant-garde Theatre offers a definition of the avant-garde, and looks at its origins and theoretical foundations by examining: Gertude Stein -- John Cage -- The Beat writers -- Avant-garde cinema -- AbstractExpressionism -- Minimalism.There are fascinating discussions and illustrations of the productions of Living Theatre, the Wooster Group, Open 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.This work offers an in-depth look at avant-garde theatre in the United States from the early 1950s to the 1990s. The text looks at the origins of the genre and its theoretical foundations, through an examination of literature, cinema and art.