Old comrades of the future : a history of experimental theatre in New Zealand, 1962-1982

Abstract

This thesis explores the history of "experimental" theatre in New Zealand between 1962 and 1982, arguing that it has made a much more important and vigorous contribution to New Zealand's theatrical history than has hitherto been recognised. In the Introduction the term "experimental" is itself defined, in relation to such key concepts as nationalism, internationalism, the avant-garde, and to the practices of the institutional theatre. In the body of the thesis experimental theatre practice is organized into three parts: Part I, consisting of two chapters, covers the first two and a half years of Downstage theatre (1964 - 1967), considering it as a prototype experimental theatre, which subsequently lost its experimental character. Part II, in eight chapters, explores the history and character of the three most vigorous experimental companies of the early 1970s: Theatre Action (1972 - 1977), Amamus (1971 - 1978) and the Living Theatre Troupe (1970 - 1975). The concluding chapter discusses the work of other notable companies and individuals from the 1970s. Part III, in two chapters, examines the history of Red Mole, the only company which has survived into the present, during the period of its greatest impact in New Zealand, from 1974 to 1982. The Epilogue provides a brief outline of developments in New Zealand theatre since 1982, many of which are arguably a legacy from the experimental line of the previous two decades. Throughout, the thesis examines the role of other performance arts such as music and dance in experimental theatre. It also contextualises experimental theatre practice in New Zealand in relation to such local agencies as the New Zealand Students' Arts Council and the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council, and in relation to international theoretical and practical developments in experimental theatre, especially in Europe and the United States. There is also an Appendix which contains complete chronologies of the work of the four major companies discussed in the body of the thesis.