ABSTRACT
Throughout most of theatre history, theory almost always followed practice; it was a means of explaining and codifying what already existed. Neoclassicism was the notable exception, but even in the Renaissance, the most vital forms of theatre emerged organically from a variety of cultural forces. The avant-garde, however, reversed this age-old process. In most if not all cases, intellectual idea preceded practice, and the theatre was built upon a theoretical foundation. An understanding of the avant-garde, therefore, requires a visit to its ideational sources. For the postwar avant-garde, the wellspring was Marcel Duchamp and its pillars were Gertrude Stein and John Cage. Scientific theory could effect change in society without necessarily any direct understanding of the theories themselves. Sigmund Freud's observations and writings on the subconscious mind crystallized a century of psychological explorations and shifted the focus of art from the depiction of observable phenomena to expressions of perceived inner truth.
