Hellenism and the Independent Theatre Movement in America. Eric Wiley Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1999 Hellenism and the Independent Theatre Movement in America. Eric Wiley Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Wiley, Eric, "Hellenism and the Independent Theatre Movement in America." (1999). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 7023. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/7023 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. 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Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. HELLENISM AND THE INDEPENDENT THEATRE MOVEMENT IN AMERICA A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In The Department of Theatre By Eric Wiley B.A., Reed College, 1984 M.F.A., The University of Texas at Austin, 1993 August 1999 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9945750 UMI Microform 9945750 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am pleased to acknowledge the assistance of my dissertation advisor, Professor Lesley K. Ferris, whose valuable suggestions have led considerably to the improvement of this study. I would also like to thank the members of my dissertation committee for their thoughtful responses to my work. Over the past five years, Professors Bill Harbin, Gresdna Doty, Les Wade, Femi Euba, and many graduate and undergraduate students in the Department of Theatre at Louisiana State University have contributed to my appreciation for, and increased my enjoyment of, theatre studies. I would especially like to acknowledge, for the kindness they have shown toward me, fellow students Amy Cuomo and Mark Zelinsky. I also wish to acknowledge the Graduate Schools of Louisiana State University and The University of Texas at Austin for the support they provided to my studies in the form of Graduate Fellowships. This study has benefited from the fine instruction I received in Greek courses at Louisiana State University from Professors Michelle Gellrich, William Clarke, Emily Batinski, Ken Kitchell, and Richard Warga. In addition, at the University of Texas at Austin, I had wonderful courses in Greek with Peter Green, William Armstrong, and Cynthia Shelmerdine, as well as memorable lectures in theatre by Oscar Brockett. I must also mention Volker Fehrs, of Giessen, Germany, my outstanding German tutor. Finally, my friends and family have been most helpful of all, and especially my wife, Michele Solles Wiley, and my daughter, Clementine. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS............................................................................................ ii ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................iv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ I 2 HELLENISM AND THE EUROPEAN INDEPENDENT THEATRE M OVEM ENT......................................................................14 3 HELLENIST INFLUENCES IN AMERICA PRIOR TO 1925................................................................................. 75 4 HELLENISM AND THE CHICAGO LITTLE THEATRE 117 5 HELLENISM AND THE PROVINCETOWN PLAYERS 148 6 HELLENISM AND THE NEW STAGECRAFT.................................173 7 CONCLUSION.................................................................................. 184 BIBLIOGRAPHY..................................................................................................... 190 APPENDIX: QUOTATIONS TRANSLATED IN THE TEXT .............................. 198 VITA .............................................................................................................................. 200 iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT This dissertation considers influences of the Greek tradition on the rise of the independent theatres in America during the first quarter of the twentieth century. These influences are of two major kinds, those present in the earlier European independent theatre movement, dating back to 1877, with the creation of the Theatre Libre in Paris, and those found in the American cultural tradition in general. The American branch of the independent theatre movement harbored from its inception a confluence of both these Hellenist strains, as seen in the work of figures such as Maurice Browne, leader of the Chicago Little Theatre, and Jig Cook, leader of the Provincetown Players. The European Hellenist influences are traced to seminal figures in nineteenth century classical studies, such as Nietzsche, Wilamowitz-MoellendorfF and Pater, and to theatrical visionaries such as Wagner, Reinhardt, Craig and Yeats. A variety of theatrical practices are considered in relation to Hellenism within the European context, including production management, directing, theatre architecture, scenic design, playwriting, and translation. The international character of the independent theatre movement, which established itself in France, Germany, England, Ireland, Russia, Sweden, and elsewhere, helped trends in classical scholarship, itself an international activity, to resonate in the experimental theatres. The Greek tradition in the United States began in the early colonial period, when colonists were lured to the New World with promotional parallels made between North America and lost island of Atlantis. Henceforth, in every period of the nation’s history, the Greek presence assumes varied, often distinctly American forms: studies of ancient Greek constitutions by the Founding Fathers; Greek curriculum in schools; iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. philhellenism of the early national period; Greek revival architecture; Greek letter societies; Greek-styled numismatics. These and other forms of the Greek presence in America provide an impression of the climate in which Greek-influenced work first appeared at early independent theatres in the United States. A review of the direct and climactic Greek influences in the work of early, leading independent theatres in the America points to a pattern of Hellenist influence that has never been adequately recognized. This study provides the first, general record of that pattern. v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION In the winter of 1924, an American was buried in the cemetery at Delphi, his grave marked by a stone taken from the Temple of Apollo by permission of the Greek government. In the nearby stadium, Pythian games were held in honor of the man, who had spent the last two years of his life in the ancient village on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. In a paradox worthy of Delphi, this man, whom the Greeks honored in their most ancient traditions, was none other than George Cram (‘Jig’) Cook, former leader of the Provincetown Players, one of the most renowned avant-garde theatre companies in American history. But Jig Cook represents,