1st Edition

Feminist Theatres in the USA Staging Women's Experience

By Charlotte Canning Copyright 1996
    282 Pages
    by Routledge

    282 Pages
    by Routledge

    Feminist Theaters in the USA is a fresh, informative portrait of a key era in feminist and theater history It is vital reading for feminist students, theater historians and theater practitioners. Their continued movement forward will be challenged and enriched by this timely look back at the trials and accomplishments of their predecessors.
    Canning interviews over thirty women who took part in the dynamic feminist theater of the 1970s and 1980s. They provide first-hand accounts of the excitement, struggles and innovations which formed their experience. From this foundation Cannning constructs a compelling combination of historical survey, critique and celebration which explores:
    * The history of the groups and their formation
    * The politics which shaped their work
    * Their methods and creative processes
    * The productions they brought to the stage
    * The reception from critics and audiences

    Table of Contents Dedication Epigraph Table of Contents Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction Two Projects 1 Writing the History of Feminist Theater Groups 2 Feminism, Theater, and Radical Politics: Intersecting at Experience 3 Collectivity and Collaboration 4 Representing Community and Experience: Plays About Mothers and Daughters 5 Representing the Patriarchy and Experience: Plays About Violence Against Women 6 The Community as Audience Conclusion: Changes and Legacies Appendix A List of Interviews Appendix B Interview Questions Appendix C Feminist Theaters and Producing Organisations Bibliography

    Biography

    Charlotte Canning is Assistant Professor in the department of Theater and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin. She has published a wide varieky of articles about feminism and theater history.