Spalding Gray Critical Essay | Perpetual Saturdays (1981)

Perpetual Saturdays (1981)

SOURCE: Spalding Gray, "Perpetual Saturdays," in Performing Arts Journal, Vol. 6, No. 1, 1981, pp. 46-9.

In the essay below, Gray offers his observations on performance and on experimental theater, which he calls "backyard theater. "

I never could relate to the term "avant-garde." When I see a term like that I automatically want to make my own American translation. I want to translate it into, "The Theatre of the Backyard," or even more American, "backyard theatre."

As a boy, growing up in America, I loved Saturdays. Saturday was my favorite day of the week and my secret ambition was to make every day into Saturday. With this attitude, it took me fifteen years, instead of twelve, to get out of school but I did get out and I did eventually find Elizabeth LeCompte, Richard Schechner, the Performing Garage and the whole group. I found them. They found me. We...
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