Theatre Design & Technology - Oct 1971 - 23

The following are notes to the Symposium from
Maryat Lee, Founder of "Soul & Latin Theatre,"
who could not attend.
I have a different idea about Street Theatre and what it is
than most people. Street Theatre is not a question of where
it takes place, but of from where it comes. Street Theatre
is acted by the people of the streets or crossroads who
gradually develop their own techniques, crafts, and style in
language, sounds, and action common to them, in plays
written out of their concern for and experience in their communities.
It would be unthinkable to send a company to Germany
and call it German theatre, or to Ghana and call it Ghanian
theatre. But people send theatres to the streets and call
them street theatres. This is, in fact, a kind of insult to
streets which have communities that claim them.
Is "from the bottom up" theatre possible? I believe it is.
Certainly the two greatest theatres we know (Greek and
Elizabethan) were results of a bottom-up theatre that started
from the bushes and alleyways and were therefore an expression of a wide base of society and not just the top 3
percent of the population, as ours is. The fact is that there
is evidence in the streets themselves that the streets are
ready for their own theatrical voice to be heard. Indigenous
theatre has not yet existed in this country. I believe that
with minimum implementation and simple equipment, a nonprofessional group that believes in itself can rise up and topple what has been rigidly adhered to as theatre norms, profoundly influencing those elements that have determined
procedure, policy, and technique through centuries of indoor
cultivation, but which with the confrontation of a different
audience, will be found not hallowed or relevant.
The
shake
citing
ideas,
there.

streets have more culture and passion that you can
a stick at, and a willing laboratory for ferociously extheatre--using the language, struggles, loves, with
music, stories, actors-and audience-that are found

Many of the groups perform right on the streets
without a stage. Most of them, however, do bring
platforms and erect a stage. The groups rent small
trucks, but find that parking and security are real
probl ems as most publ ic garages do not take vehicles larger than panel trucks. Security for the
equipment is essential, as complete trucks have
disappeared.
For any group to be successful it must be invited to perform. Almost all blocks have a Block
Association, and they must invite you. If they
know about you and what you are doing is relevant, they will invite you. Once invited, send an
advance man to meet with the Block Association
to arrange for exact location, security, electricity,
dressing rooms, policing, etc. The Association will
provide all of these necessities and will also provide an informal security force. This is essential to
keep lights, costumes, sound equipment, etc. from
disappeari ng.
What should you take with you?
you need for each performance. Be
up quickly and tear down quickly.
rain, power failure, disturbances,

Take only what
prepared to set
Be prepared for
etc. Whenever

(Continued on page 37)

THEATER DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

OCTOBER, 1971

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