A time to speak : an integrative performance historiography of Archibald Macleish's panic and the fall of the city
type: CreativeWork
description: "A Time to Speak": an integrative performance historiography of Archibald MacLeish's Panic and The Fall of the City examines two neglected plays, Panic (1935) and The Fall of the City (1937), by the American poet-playwright Archibald McLeish (1892-1982). Best known in studies of verse drama for his 1958 play, J.B., MacLeish is a significant figure in American letters and these early plays, hitherto neglected in theatre history and performance, are crucial to an understanding of his career as a whole. The thesis presents archival study of the history of these plays in performance integrated with the revival of the works themselves through contemporary performance practice. Because verse drama has historically been perceived in terms of its heightened literary qualities, critical approaches to the genre have tended to focus on a literary, text based analysis. Verse drama, then, has traditionally been at the forefront of such polarising scholarly binaries as text versus performance and the literary versus the theatrical within theatre studies. In its integration of literary analysis, theatre historiography and contemporary performance practice, this dissertation aims to demonstrate the methodological possibilities of a more inclusive, complementary and constructive approach to the study of verse drama. MacLeish, Panic and The Fall of the City provide intriguing case studies in exploring new approaches to the study of verse drama in its historical, textual and performance contexts. The first chapter contextualises Panic, linking MacLeish's journalism of the period and his attempts to 'sound' the Great Depression through performed verse. The second chapter analyses the three major historical productions of the play within their socio-historical and theatrical contexts, revealing important insight into the ways in which the various contextual performative frameworks surrounding these productions impacted upon their reception. Chapter three focusses on my own experience of…
abstract: "A Time to Speak": an integrative performance historiography of Archibald MacLeish's Panic and The Fall of the City examines two neglected plays, Panic (1935) and The Fall of the City (1937), by the American poet-playwright Archibald McLeish (1892-1982). Best known in studies of verse drama for his 1958 play, J.B., MacLeish is a significant figure in American letters and these early plays, hitherto neglected in theatre history and performance, are crucial to an understanding of his career as a whole. The thesis presents archival study of the history of these plays in performance integrated with the revival of the works themselves through contemporary performance practice. Because verse drama has historically been perceived in terms of its heightened literary qualities, critical approaches to the genre have tended to focus on a literary, text based analysis. Verse drama, then, has traditionally been at the forefront of such polarising scholarly binaries as text versus performance and the literary versus the theatrical within theatre studies. In its integration of literary analysis, theatre historiography and contemporary performance practice, this dissertation aims to demonstrate the methodological possibilities of a more inclusive, complementary and constructive approach to the study of verse drama. MacLeish, Panic and The Fall of the City provide intriguing case studies in exploring new approaches to the study of verse drama in its historical, textual and performance contexts. The first chapter contextualises Panic, linking MacLeish's journalism of the period and his attempts to 'sound' the Great Depression through performed verse. The second chapter analyses the three major historical productions of the play within their socio-historical and theatrical contexts, revealing important insight into the ways in which the various contextual performative frameworks surrounding these productions impacted upon their reception. Chapter three focusses on my own experience of…
author: Holmes, Andrew Maxwell
date published: 2014
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:07:30Z
provider: Australian Catholic University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Australian Catholic University

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property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/1885/156395