THE MASTERWORKS LABORATORY THEATRE: A HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL STUDY.
Item
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Title
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THE MASTERWORKS LABORATORY THEATRE: A HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL STUDY.
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Identifier
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AAI8212215
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identifier
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8212215
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Creator
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SIGEL, DAVID LEO.
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Contributor
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Albert Bermel
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Date
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1982
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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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The Masterworks Laboratory Theatre is a producing organization and workshop under the artistic direction of Walt Witcover. It is dedicated to the belief that classic (non-contemporary) plays and opera can be rehearsed and produced using the principles of the Stanislavski "method." The work of Witcover and his group was hardly new, for the tradition beginning with Stanislavski had continued in Europe throughout this century due to the work of men like Walter Felsenstein and Wieland Wagner. In the United States, Robert Lewis approached musical theatre using the same theories and methods and directors like Elia Kazan, Lee Strasberg, and Gene Frankel applied these rehearsal techniques to productions of classic or non-contemporary drama. As there was no sustained effort in this area, however, Walt Witcover and the Masterworks Laboratory Theatre was established to fill the void. For over a decade, it has been the only organization in the United States which has attempted to foster and continue the Stanislavski tradition while producing classic theatre and opera.;This dissertation attempts to establish the need for this kind of approach in a brief survey of the theatre in the United States in the sixties. Other attempts to revitalize the classic theatre and opera in the United States were often worthwhile, but they were not in the Stanislavski tradition. A history of the Masterworks Laboratory Theatre from its inception to the present is included, as well as the rehearsal procedures for selected productions. Whenever possible, reviews of the production are included to better give the reader a sense of the results. The writer of this dissertation has relied on personal interviews, production notes, and prompt books to reconstruct as much as possible the fourteen-year history of the organization, and attempts to analyze whether or not the philosophy of the organization can lead to viable theatrical productions in the contemporary American Theatre. While the organization has had some influence on other theatre practitioners, it never received wide recognition or acclaim. The reasons that Witcover and his followers did not alter American theatre nor change American audiences, as well as the positive achievements of the group, are discussed.
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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
