THE FAMILY: A THEATRE COMPANY WORKING WITH PRISON INMATES AND EX-INMATES.
Item
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Title
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THE FAMILY: A THEATRE COMPANY WORKING WITH PRISON INMATES AND EX-INMATES.
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Identifier
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AAI8203287
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identifier
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8203287
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Creator
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HART, STEVEN EDWARD.
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Contributor
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Stanley A. Waren
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Date
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1981
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Theater
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Abstract
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This study illuminates the origins, development, representative methods, dramatic works, and the cultural as well as the social impact of the theatre company known as The Family. The group was formed in 1972 under the direction of Marvin Felix Camillo by six former inmates of the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester County New York. Best known for its award-winning 1973 production of Short Eyes by Miguel Pinero, the company to date has enjoyed some commercial and critical success as a part of the theatre community in New York City.;Part I of this study deals with the origins and development of The Family. Following an introductory chapter, Chapter II focuses on the background leading up to the formation of The Family with particular emphasis on the background of Marvin Felix Camillo. Chapter III covers the workshop that took place at Bedford Hills, its growth and working methods. Chapter IV relates the history of Short Eyes and its rise to national prominence, as well as providing a summary of The Family's activities from that time to the present, including material on its administrative and funding history.;Part II deals with representative works of The Family. Chapter V is an overview of characteristic plays the group has chosen to produce as well as working methods and themes that specifically relate to The Family. Chapter VI is a history, reconstruction and commentary on the group's production of The Crucifixion, a modern form of passion play based on the poem by James Weldon Johnson. Chapter VII is a discussion about Short Eyes in comparison to four other contemporary plays that deal with enforced confinement.;Part III explores the organization of The Family and its relationship to prisons. Since the group seems to operate in a way that is similar to an extended family, Chapter VIII is predicated on an analogy between the group and some concepts on the role of families in society expressed by Robert F. Winch. Chapter IX is an exploration of prison in relation to the theatre in general and The Family in particular. Chapter X is the conclusion.;It was not Marvin Camillo's objective to set up a social service or psycho-therapeutic agency when he founded The Family, but rather to set up a theatre. Its workshops, however, which emphasize the individual's exploration of his emotions and his untapped abilities seem to yield a great deal of personal growth and satisfaction to the participants. Society also gains from The Family through its literature which seems to give us insight into aspects of American life that generally go unrepresented in the arts.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Theatre
