An examination of the Performance Group's origins and subsequent development as one of the leading theatrical companies in the Off-Off Broadway movement of the late 1960's was undertaken by the author, one of the Group's founding members and a principal actor in the Group's production of Dionysus in 69. Using an analytical approach suggested by methods of psychology, sociology, and cultural anthropology, key features of the Group phenomenon were identified--both in the Group's evolution as a creative organism and in the manifestation of the Group dynamic in the performance of Dionysus in 69. / Three principal areas of study were thus identified: (1) the Group dynamic founded on the libidinal, emotion-based ties between members of the collective; (2) the Group Mind, or intentionality of the whole as distinguished from its parts; (3) the Group structure, or interplay of personal forces which were subsequently recollections form the basis of the study; however, his observations were augmented by other primary sources, including interviews with other members of the original Group, inspection of personal papers and letters of those involved in Dionysus in 69, and review of critical responses to the production. / The sociocultural significance of Dionysus in 69 was examined in terms of the Group's use of "environmental theatre" staging techniques and moments of audience participation where spectators were encouraged to interact with the performers. Abandoning the conventional approach towards theatre as a medium for the playwright's "word," the Group attempted to rediscover a form of ritual theatre where actors and spectators could search for communion through shared experience in an aesthetic context. As a result the production changed considerably during its year and a half run--changes which reflected the Group's evolution as a creative body and its attempt to find a common ground of understanding with its audiences. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-03, Section: A, page: 0556. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75517 |
| Contributors | SHEPHARD, WILLIAM HUNTER., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 566 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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