In the late 1960s in New York, many actors became disillusioned with the commercial theatre practice of "jobbing in," i.e., of hiring performers for only one production. A number of these actors began experimenting with different types of performing groups or ensembles. These ensembles often reflected the culture of that period--disillusionment with mainstream middle-class values, involvement with drugs, opposition to the Viet Nam war. They attracted experimenters in professional theatre and a mixed group of performers with a wide spectrum of theatre training and experience. Some performers had none at all, and some a great deal. People from varied socioeconomic backgrounds and different races were drawn together, working for a single social, artistic purpose. Because the group members represented such a variety of performing types, the ensemble leader often became the main teacher. The group frequently met other needs, as a family would, by providing for its members a social, political, emotional, and spiritual structure. / One such ensemble was The Ridiculous Theatrical Company (TRTC), whose leader was Charles Ludlam. This ensemble was unique among the companies of that period in that it maintained a continuing group of the same five actors over a thirteen-year span. This study was an examination of the dynamics of that ensemble and the interrelations of the five long-term members under Ludlam's leadership during the period from 1967 to 1981. / Data for this study were drawn from articles written about the Company, extensive interviews conducted between 1979 and 1982 with the five long-term members, and participant observation by the researcher. The study is presented largely in the members' own words, allowing the story to speak for itself. It traces the Company's existence--philosophically, chronologically, and topically--from its inception to the final disillusionment and departure of two of the original members in 1980. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-01, Section: A, page: 0023. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75748 |
| Contributors | WHARTON, ROBERT THOMAS, III., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 411 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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