Artistic Attributes

Given the flexibility of membership of The Performance Group over time, the “indisputable, albeit controversial, guiding force” of the Group was its founder, Richard Schechner (Harding and Rosenthal 307). He used the group to explore his theories of Environmental Theater, as outlined in his many writings as a theorist and scholar of performance theory. Schechner published “6 Axioms for Environmental Theatre” in The Drama Review which he edited, which are useful for understanding Schechners intentions with his work with the Group (Shank 93).

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The six Axioms for Environmental Theatre are as follows:
 

ONE: The theatrical event is a set of related transactions

As summarized by scholar Howard Shank, “It is necessary to accept a definition of theatre which is not based upon traditional distinctions between life and art.” (Shank 93)
TWO: All the space is used for performance; All the space is used for audience
THREE: The theatrical event can take place either in a totally transformed space or in “found space”
FOUR: Focus is flexible and variable
FIVE: All production elements speak in their own language
All parts of the performance should be important, “why should the performer be any more important than other production elements?” (Schechner "6 Axioms" 59)
SIX:The text need be neither the starting point nor the goal of a production. There may be no text all all

(Schechner, "6 Axioms" 59)

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These guiding axioms are clear in Schechner's works with the group. Of course, the many other artists that were part of the group during its 13-year history had their own impacts on its works. Though Schechner lead the group and explored projects within his interests, the members were part of a group creation process through a wide variety of exercises, and their own unique theatrical interests and abilities formed the works they were a part of.