Dissertation

Popular environmental theatre in America, 1977-1993

Sauvage, Jeanne Louise

1994

Overview

The term \"environmental theatre\" is used to describe theatre that alters the conventional Western-theatre separation between actors and spectators and/or which blurs the boundaries between the roles of actor-as-performer and spectator-as-observer. Environmental theatre is not a new form, but the purposes for which it is used are constantly changing. Environmentalism entered American theatre in the 1960s, a time when conventional ways of creating theatre and the other arts were being questioned, and new (or seemingly new) techniques and alternatives were being sought. Environmental techniques, such as simulation of an environment and audience participation and interaction, were explored and developed in theatre in order to provide a more immediate experience for spectators. Much environmental theatre that arose in the 1960s and early 1970s was designed to carry a message and/or to educate its audience. As the seventies progressed, however, environmental techniques were used increasingly to enhance the entertainment qualities of theatre. This contemporary entertainment-based environmental theatre I have termed \"popular,\" and it is the focus of this study. This dissertation traces the historical development of environmental theatre; examines influences from other areas of popular entertainment; explores four case studies to illustrate different facets of this genre: Tamara, Tony n' Tina's Wedding, It's Murder, Cheeves (a murder-mystery weekend), and Murder at the Cafe Noir (a murder-mystery dinner), raises key theoretical ramifications of current popular environmental theatre; and attempts to place the genre within the spectrum of other environmental entertainment forms.

• Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
• Subject: Shepard, Sam (1943-2017) / Theater
• ISBN: 9798208136034