Epic theatreErwin PiscatorPolitical theatreThe Dramatic Workshopaudience role
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Abstract (AI)
Foreword: by Richard Schechner Part 1: Weimar to The Dramatic Workshop Personal History Erwin Piscator: Germany to New York City The Founding of The Dramatic Workshop, 1940 The Studio Theatre The Teachers of Piscator's School Margrit Wyler Reiken Ben-Ari Chouteau Dyer Leo Kerz Paul Zucker Gloria Montemuro Alexander Ince Hans Sondheimer Henry Wendriner The Students George Bartenieff Anna Berger Sylvia Miles Marlon Brando Bea Arthur Howard Friedman Piscator's Students My Personal Struggle to Enter The Dramatic Workshop Valeska Gert Lunar Bowels: an Audition Piece Part 2: The Notebook Part 3: The Ongoing Epic End of the Notebook and First Workshop Plays Julian Beck By Any Other Name and Maurice Schwartz's Yiddish Art Theatre Piscator's Basic Question: The Role of the Audience Becoming a Director: A Confession The Inspiration of Joseph Urban's Architecture Eleanor Fitzgerald The Classes The March of Drama Theatre Research Theatre Research Critique The Plays The Sheepwell (Fuente Ovejuna) Franklin Roosevelt's Death Lysistrata The Spook Sonata Hannele's Way to Heaven The Aristocrats Agamemnon The Circle of Chalk The Flies Tonight We Improvise - Pirandello: Breaking into the Audience Kandinsky's Great Insight Piscator and the Audience Objective Acting Between Two Worlds Piscator: Success and Failure Piscator's Return to Germany - and to Berlin Eric Bentley Piscator's Influence Piscator's Influence: The Work of The Living Theatre Afterword: Political Theatre, Theatrical Politics: Epic Theatre in the 21st Century
Key Findings
1
The Dramatic Workshop included a Studio Theatre with a roster of teachers (e.g., Margrit Wyler, Reiken Ben-Ari, Chouteau Dyer) and notable students (e.g., Marlon Brando, Bea Arthur, Sylvia Miles).
2
The book assesses Piscator's successes and failures, his return to Germany, and his influence on later groups like The Living Theatre and on political/theatrical practice into the 21st century.
3
The book documents Erwin Piscator's personal and professional journey from Weimar Germany to founding The Dramatic Workshop in New York City in 1940.
4
The notebook section records Piscator's pedagogical practices, class topics (e.g., Theatre Research, Critique, The March of Drama), and practical plays and exercises used in training.
5
The work analyzes Piscator's central theoretical question about the role of the audience and his approaches such as epic theatre, objective acting, and breaking into the audience.
Research Object
Erwin Piscator's notebook and related materials on The Dramatic Workshop and Piscator's theatre practice
Research Subject
Documentation and reflection on Piscator's pedagogical activities, theatrical works, theories (epic theatre), audience role, influence on students and political/theatrical practice across Weimar–New York–Berlin contexts
Publication Details
Publication Date
2012-10-01
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