Richard Foreman's Ontological-Hysteric Theatre

Extract

For the last decade, the most important workers in experimental theatre have been investigating certain aspects of performance: altered audience-presentation relationships, spontaneity and the physical resources of the actor, group creation, the release of “forbidden” political/sexual material, and so forth. Energetic forms of expressionism have been the main preoccupation. The Ontological-Hysteric Theatre of Richard Foreman is, despite its name, almost diametrically opposed to these tendencies. It uses the traditional viewing arrangement; it extremely reduces and limits the activity of the actor; it does not attempt didactic socio-political statements; and it is quite clear that Foreman is both the playwright and the director of his theatre.

Of course, these differences would not, in themselves, be enough to make Foreman's Ontological-Hysteric Theatre important. If, however, the value of experimental theatre is to mark out new areas of performance for investigation and to develop previously unused techniques, then Foreman's theatre can be seen to have great significance.