A time to speak : an integrative performance historiography of Archibald Macleish's panic and the fall of the city

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 directing Panic at the Australian National University in 2011, and audience reactions to the performance. The final two chapters are dedicated to The Fall of the City, as well as the processes leading from Panic to The Fall of the City's production in 2011. Chapter four provides contextual information, analysing the production history of the play and the main issues for performance which this history highlights. The fifth and final chapter discusses the performance of the play at the Australian National University in 2011, again incorporating audience response and feedback. The conclusion provides a brief overview of the rest of MacLeish's dramatic career and the formative influence of both Panic and The Fall of the City on it, a statement about the project's methodological significance to the genre of verse drama, and a re-evaluation of the two plays in light of their performance outcomes.