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"Cohen-Cruz’s book is a highly effective local (and global) act in itself; paralleling the culturally democratic acts it is inspired by, Local Acts will in turn inspire others."—Lucy R. Lippard, author of The Lure of the Local: Senses of Place in a Multicentered SocietyAn eclectic mix of art, theater, dance, politics, experimentation, and ritual, community-based performance has become an increasingly popular art movement in the United States. Forged by the collaborative efforts of professional artists and local residents, this field brings performance together with a range of political, cultural, and social projects, such as community-organizing, cultural self-representation, and education. Local Acts presents a long-overdue survey of community-based performance from its early roots, through its flourishing during the politically-turbulent 1960s, to present-day popular culture. Drawing on nine case studies, including groups such as the African American Junebug Productions, the Appalachian Roadside Theater, and the Puerto Rican Teatro Pregones, Jan Cohen-Cruz provides descriptions of performances and processes, first-person stories, and analysis. She shows how the ritual side of these endeavors reinforces a sense of community identification while the aesthetic side enables local residents to transgress cultural norms, to question group habits, and to incorporate a level of craft that makes the work accessible to individuals beyond any one community. The book concludes by exploring how community-based performance transcends even national boundaries, connecting the local United States with international theater and cultural movements.
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Local Acts Rutgers Series on the Public Life of the Arts A series edited by Ruth Ann Stewart Margaret J. Wyszomirski Joni M. Cherbo Joni M. Cherbo and Margaret J. Wyszomirski, eds., The Public Life of the Arts in America Lawrence Rothfield, ed., Unsettling “Sensation”: Arts Policy Lessons from the Brooklyn Museum of Art Controversy Local Acts ( Community-Base d Pe rformance in the Unite d State s Jan Cohe n-Cruz Rutge r s Unive r sity Pre ss New Brunswick, New Jersey, and London Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cohen-Cruz, Jan, 1950– Local acts : community-based performance in the United States / Jan Cohen-Cruz. p. cm. — (Rutgers series on the public life of the arts) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8135-3549-2 (hardcover : alk. paper)—ISBN 0-8135-3550-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Community theater—United States. 2. Theater and society—United States. I. Title. II. Series. PN2267.C66 2005 792.02⬘0973—dc22 2004016354 A British Cataloging-in-Publication record is available for this book from the British Library Copyright © 2005 by Jan Cohen-Cruz All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. Please contact Rutgers University Press, 100 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854–8099. The only exception to this prohibition is “fair use” as defined by U.S. copyright law. The publication program of Rutgers University is supported by the Board of Governors of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Manufactured in the United States of America To the community-based performance participants who became my teachers, expanding and challenging me through the range of their experiences and perceptions. And to the students who became my collaborators, through commitment to the idea that becoming an artist does not happen strictly within the walls of a studio, and thus facilitating arts-based projects with me in myriad settings. Conte nts List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction Part I ix xi