Challenging the Hierarchy

Collective theatres are collectively organized and run performing groups, usually socially conscious and politically oriented, often aligned with the people's theatre movement. This book examines collectivization as a way of successfully challenging the hierarchy and ideology of traditional theatre and of society. It asserts that the collective process is a vibrant and accessible method of creating theatre, of representing a variety of cultures in the United States and of providing a supportive environment for the creative artist. The study offers a general theory of the process of collective creation and explores its application and results in the theatre.

Weinberg examines the process, then traces the history of collectives and the place of collective theatre in the American cultural tradition. Detailed studies of four such theatres then illustrate the way the collective process has manifested itself and describe exemplary methods and outcomes. Attention is given to the political nature of the companies in their organization and operation, to the art and politics of their plays, and to the relationship of process to production. El Teatro de la Esperanza concentrates on issues of importance to the Chicano community. The Dakota Theatre Caravan had as its major focus the problems, interests, and political awareness of rural people. The United Mime Workers, which was far from a traditional mime troupe, appealed to a general audience, but its scripts often dealt with the world of the workplace. Split Britches, a feminist collective, challenges traditional theatre's heterosexual imperative through startling performances combining narrative, vaudeville, and personal history. The final section contains a summary of the legacy of collective theatre and speculates on the theoretical and practical value of recent trends in collective creation. Assembling and analyzing a mass of fascinating detail culled from archives and interviews as well as published material, this work will be of value to theatre historians and professionals and anyone interested in the interplay of politics and the arts in society, and to those wishing to form collective theatres themselves.