Upcoming: More Lectures by Richard Schechner on Dionysus in 69, November 17 and December 4

EPS: E. P. Schoch Bldg, East Mall of UT Campus:

Upcoming: "Dionysus in 69 in '09," Lecture by Richard Schechner, November 13

UPDATE: Michael Barnes' comments (but nothing on the content of the lecture) and some images of this event, including one of Oscar Brockett, at the Statesman's social blog "Out and About," November 15

Publicized by the Rude Mechs and located on-line at the UT Humanities Institute:

Distinguished Visiting Lecturers Series
2009-10 Theme: Ethical Life in a Global Society

Richard Schechner
"Dionysus in 69 in '09: Looking Back Looking Forward"
November 13 - reception at 6:30 p.m., lecture at 7:30 p.m.
AVAYA Auditorium, ACES Building, 24th and Speedway
Lectures are free and open to the public.

The Humanities Institute is pleased to welcome Professor Richard Schechner, this year's C. L. and Henriette Cline Centennial Visiting Professor in the Humanities. The University Professor of Performance Studies at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, Schechner is a founding figure in the interdisciplinary field of performance studies. While on campus in November and December, Schechner will offer a public lecture in the Humanities Institute's Distinguished Visiting Lecture series and meet with faculty, students, and performing artists in the community.

In conjunction with his residency in Austin, Rude Mechanicals will be remounting The Performance Group's interpretation of Euripides' The Bacchae, entitled Dionysus in 69. Created collectively and directed by Schechner, Dionysus in 69 ran for a year and a half from 1967 to 1969. It is widely regarded as one of the germinal works of American experimental theatre. Rude Mechanicals will be remounting the piece as faithfully as possible to the original production.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Arts Reporting: A New Space, A New Play for the Rude Mechs

At the Rude Mechs' blog, Kirk Lynn has just posted about the preparation of a new playing space at the Off Center (called the "Center Center") and the participants' exploration of Dionysus in 69, a recreation that they will open on December 3:

". . . The beautiful thing about the Center Center is that when you pass through the door, you not only enter another building, you enter another time. The Center Center is going to be exposed to the public when we share our recreation of Dionysus in 69. Dionysus in 69 is the first performance in what we imagine will be a series of performances over the next few years as a part of our Contemporary Classics Series. We are going to recreate classic performances from the 60s, 70s and 80s that we feel are essential part of the American Theatre. These will be shows which we have heard about, read about, watched on DVD, and longed to see live for many years. We are starting with Dionysus in 69 because it is so near and dear to our own experience. A group of artists trying to make work collectively and enduring all the emotional and societal difficulties that come along with that, as well as reaping the benefits of having a close-knit group of friends with whom you can practice your craft."

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

[photo as posted by the the Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing, University of Pennsylvania.]