Dionysus in 69 was a theatrical production directed and conceived byRichard Schechner, founder and longtime artistic director ofthe Performance Group (TPG), aNew York-basedexperimental theater troupe. An adaptation ofThe Bacchae byGreek playwrightEuripides, it was documented in a film byBrian de Palma,Bruce Joel Rubin, and Robert Fiore titledDionysus in '69.
Dionysus in 69 was an example of Schechner's practice ofenvironmental theater, utilizing space and the audience in such ways as to bring them in close contact with each other.Dionysus in 69 challenged notions of the orthodox theater by deconstructing Euripides' text, interpolating text and action devised by the performers, and involving the spectators in an active and sensory artistic experience.[1] The film merged footage from the final two performances of the play in July 1969.[2][3]
Dionysus in 69 won a 1969Obie Award,[4] and was published in 1970 byNoonday Press, with photographs of the production byFrederick Eberstadt.[5]
The cast of the play at the time of its filming was:[6]
The Bacchae opened the CityDionysia Festival in Athens in 405 BC and won first prize. The action follows the godDionysus on his return to the city ofThebes to avenge his mother's reputation and the god's own rejection as the bastard child ofZeus. The title refers to the groups of devoted female followers of the god, who serve as the chorus in the play, and would engage in ecstatic rituals to the point of euphoric delirium motivated by the god's association with wine, sexuality, celebration, and the theater. The play deals with the themes of religion, sexuality, sacrifice and devotion.[7] The translation which served as the basis for the TPG production was written byWilliam Arrowsmith.[8]
Rehearsal and performance took place in a "performing garage" (actually a small metal stamping factory). According to Schechner, the group rehearsed an average of 6 hours a day, at least 6 days a week, for 5 months. The rehearsal included vocal training and psychophysical interactions (e.g.attack therapy, a controversial method at that time in use to treat drug addicts).[9]
Dionysus in 69 is an example of Richard Schechner's theories of environmental theater in terms of the uses of the performing space, deconstruction of classic texts, and audience participation. In his book, Schechner describes participation as the opening up of a play so that the audience/spectators can enter into the action—they are included in the world of the drama which is made all the more actual by their participation. As Schechner describes in his 1973 bookEnvironmental Theater: "The transformation of an aesthetic event into a social event—or shifting the focus from art-and-illusion to the formation of a potential or actual solidarity among everyone in the theater, performers and spectators alike." There were no seats, though the cast would chant "May I take you to your seat, sir?" The audience sat either on the floor, against a wall, or wooden scaffolds.[10]Dionysus in 69 created an atmosphere in which participation ranged from clapping and singing to spectators stripping and joining in the ritual celebrations and dances.[1]
After working onDionysus in 69, Schechner composed three rules regarding participation:
Schechner also notes that the key to participation is that it fundamentally changes the nature of the performance, its rhythms and outcomes. He states that, "Without this potential for change participation is just one more ornamental, illusionistic device."[1]
Previous toDionysus in 69, Schechner practiced and theorized "Six Axioms for Environmental Theater".[1] These axioms were enacted in this play, as well as in other of Schechner's theater pieces:
Dionysus in 69 was widely considered to be Schechner's seminal work. It is often looked to as the piece that broke ground on the movement ofhappenings in American theater and performance art.Jill Dolan, ofPrinceton University, says of Schechner's work onDionysus: "Schechner [made environmental staging] famous, in which the audience is interspersed with the actors, in a way that refuses the conventional separation between spectators and performers."[11] The production also gained something of a cult following, with audiences who returned to see (or participate in) the show again and again. This was so much the case that when, during a performance in which the audience held a revolt of sorts and several students "rescued" the actor playingPentheus, removing him from the performance over the objections of other cast members. Schechner then asked the audience for a volunteer to replace the actor playing Pentheus in order to complete the performance, and a spectator who had been many times before and was familiar with the piece volunteered to fill in the role.[1] Although wrought with controversy,The New York Times calledDionysus in 69 "a production of extraordinary grace and power".[3]
| Dionysus in '69 | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Brian De Palma Robert Fiore Bruce Rubin |
| Written by | William Arrowsmith Euripides |
| Starring | William Finley |
| Cinematography | Robert Fiore Bruce Rubin Brian De Palma |
| Edited by | Bruce Rubin Brian De Palma Robert Fiore |
| Distributed by | Sigma III |
Release date |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Dionysus in '69 [12] is a 1970 American film directed byBrian De Palma, Robert Fiore andBruce Rubin. The film records a performance ofThe Performance Group's stage playof the same name, an adaptation ofThe Bacchae directed by Richard Schechner.[13][14] It was entered into the20th Berlin International Film Festival.[15]
The film merges the final two performances of the play, from June and July 1969, the final one having been staged with more lighting, for better recording quality. In contrast to the previous non-recorded performances, actors are not fully naked during central scenes so as to ensure distribution to movie theaters.[16] The film makes use ofsplit screen to show both actors and audience involvement in parallel.