Alchemies of Theater: Plays, Scores, Writings

Dick Higgins (1938–98) was a visual artist, publisher, poet, and composer who was also a genuine man of the theater. His work has been influential in artistic communities worldwide, but his radical theatrical vision has received relatively little attention. Alchemies of Theater brings together a broad selection of his writings and theater-related work, including plays, performance scores, drawings, and writings on theater and performance. Higgins deconstructed the drama, undercut traditional roles, created devised theater, pioneered the use of media in theater, wrote the first electronic opera, and was a precursor in deconstruction and postdramatic avant-garde traditions. His Intermedia manifesto offered a sweeping view of interdisciplinarity, creating a new arts ecology.

Format: Hardback
Length: 214 pages
Publication date: 31 July 2024
Publisher: The University of Michigan Press

Dick Higgins (1938–98) was a multifaceted artist, publisher, poet, and composer who left an indelible mark on the world of art and theater. He was a founder of Fluxus, a significant figure in artistic communities in downtown New York City, across Europe, and in Japan. However, despite his significant contributions to the American avant-garde, his radical theatrical vision has received relatively little attention. "Alchemies of Theater" brings together a comprehensive collection of Higgins's writings and theater-related work, including plays, performance scores, drawings, and writings on theater and performance. This book showcases Higgins's pioneering work in deconstructing the drama, challenging traditional roles of author and director, creating devised theater, pioneering the use of media in theater, writing the first electronic opera, and being a precursor in deconstruction and "postdramatic" avant-garde traditions. His Intermedia manifesto provided a vision of interdisciplinarity, shaping a new arts ecology.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780472076789