Guerrilla theatre

The term guerrilla theatre was coined by Peter Berg, who in 1965 suggested it to R.G. Davis as the title of his essay on the actions of the San Francisco Mime Troupe, an essay that was first published in 1966. The term "guerrilla" was inspired by a passage in a 1961 Che Guevara essay, which read: Davis had studied mime and modern dance in the 1950s and had discovered commedia dell'arte. In autumn 1966 around 20 members of the San Francisco Mime Troupe broke off and started their own collective called the Diggers, who took their name from a group of 17th century radicals in England. == Guerrilla theatre in practice ==

Guerrilla theatre shares its origins with many forms of political protest and street theatre including agitprop (agitation-propaganda), carnival, parades, pageants, political protest, performance art, happenings, and, most notably, the Dada movement and guerrilla art. Although this movement is widely studied in Theater History classrooms, the amount of research and documentation of guerrilla theater is surprisingly lacking. The term "guerrilla theatre" seems to have emerged during the mid-1960s primarily as an upshot of activist radical theatre groups such as The Living Theatre, San Francisco Mime Troupe, Bread and Puppet Theater, El Teatro Campesino, and the Free Southern Theater. It also has important roots in Allan Kaprow's "happenings". The first widely documented guerrilla performances were carried out under the leadership of Abbie Hoffman and the Youth International Party (Yippies). One of their most publicized events occurred on August 24, 1967, at the New York Stock Exchange where Hoffman and other Yippies threw dollar bills onto the trading floor below. Creating a media frenzy, the event was publicized internationally. In his later publication, Soon to be a Major Motion Picture (1980), Hoffman refers to his television appearances with specially planned subversive tactics as "guerrilla theatre." Guerrilla theatre was used as a protest demonstration by the anti-war organization Vietnam Veterans Against the War. An article from the summer of 1971 published in the glossy magazine Ramparts detailed one such performance in Washington, D.C.: == Post-1970s performance theatre==

Another guerrilla performance group that continued the use of the term was the Guerrilla Girls. This group of feminist artist-activists was established in New York City in 1985 with the purpose of bringing attention to the lack of female artists in major art galleries and museums. The Guerrilla Girls began their work through guerrilla art tactics which broadened to include guerrilla theatre. Some common practices in their guerrilla theatre techniques that have been replicated by other groups include appearing in costume, using assumed names, and disguising their identity. ==Guerrilla theatre groups==

The origins and legacy of guerrilla theatre can be seen in the work of these political/performance groups: • ACT UP • Billionaires for Bush • Billionaires for Wealthcare • Bread and Puppet Theater • The Church of Euthanasia • Circus Amok • Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army • El Teatro Campesino • Free Southern Theater • Reclaim the Streets • Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping • San Francisco Mime Troupe • Situationism • Vietnam Veterans Against the War • Youth International Party (Yippies) • FEMEN ==Footnotes==