Dionysus in 69

Source material

In 405 BC, the play The Bacchae took first prize at Athens’ City Dionysia Festival. Its plot follows the god Dionysus as he comes back to Thebes seeking revenge for insults against his mother and for being dismissed as Zeus’s illegitimate son. The title names the god’s devoted female followers, who form the chorus and perform ecstatic rituals tied to wine, sex, celebration, and theater. The drama explores religion, sexuality, sacrifice, and loyalty.

Project details

Rehearsal and performance took place in a performing garage, originally a small metal stamping factory. Schechner stated the group rehearsed an average of six hours a day, at least six days a week, for five months, including vocal training and psychophysical interactions such as attack therapy. The production exemplified Schechner's environmental theater theories regarding space, deconstruction of classic texts, and audience participation. Schechner described participation as opening a play so spectators can enter the action, shifting focus from art-and-illusion to potential solidarity among everyone in the theater.

There were no seats; the cast would chant 'May I take you to your seat, sir?' and the audience sat on the floor, against walls, or on wooden scaffolds. Participation ranged from clapping and singing to spectators stripping and joining ritual celebrations. After this work, Schechner composed three rules about participation: the audience is in a living space where things may happen with them; a performer inviting participation must accept spectator reactions; participation should not be gratuitous.

He noted participation fundamentally changes the performance's rhythms and outcomes. The production enacted his earlier 'Six Axioms for Environmental Theater,' including that all space is used for performance and audience, focus is flexible, and all production elements speak in their own language.

Critical reception and influence

Dionysus in 69 is widely considered Schechner's seminal work and is often seen as breaking ground for happenings in American theater and performance art. Jill Dolan of Princeton University stated that Schechner made environmental staging famous, refusing conventional separation between spectators and performers. The production gained a cult following, with audiences returning repeatedly. During one performance, a spectator revolt occurred when several students rescued the actor playing Pentheus, removing him over other cast members' objections. Schechner asked for a volunteer to replace the actor, and a spectator familiar with the piece filled the role. Despite controversy, The New York Times called the production 'a production of extraordinary grace and power.'

Film

A 1970 American film, Dionysus in '69 documents a theatrical performance and was directed by Brian De Palma, Robert Fiore, and Bruce Rubin. It was shown at the 20th Berlin International Film Festival. The movie combines the play’s last two shows, from June and July 1969, with the final one using extra lighting for better recording. To allow theatrical distribution, actors are not completely nude during key scenes, unlike earlier performances. Split-screen technique simultaneously shows the actors and the audience’s reactions.