Abstract
The collectives of Western avant-garde theatre were an attempt to practice an ideal community. By borrowing from Antonin Artaud’s innovative ideas of theatre, they employed a ritualistic presentation to alter the traditional performer-spectator relationship and further to construct a new community involving both parties. Members of the collectives used collective improvisations during their rehearsals and creations, aiming at eliminating hierarchical relationship as well as building an artist community of equality and freedom. The collectives contributed to what Erika Fisher-Lichte referred to as the “performative turn” of theatre arts. The new form of theatre represented by “performance art” is more focused on showing a dynamic performance process than the collectives, which provides a new way to exploring “community.”
Keywords
collective, avant-garde theatre, community, performativity
First Page
152
Last Page
161
Recommended Citation
Gao, Ziwen. 2022. "Practicing a Community: Collectives of Western Avant-Garde Theatre and Its Performative Turn." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 42, (3): pp.152-161. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol42/iss3/16
