Abstract

Jacob Levy Moreno, M.D. is known today as the founder of psychodrama, which he defined as "the science which explores the 'truth' by dramatic methods." He has been mostly studied by psychologists, who generally emphasize his important contribution to psychology, in particular to group therapy and action methods. This dissertation investigates Moreno primarily as a theatre artist. ;It starts with a philosophical analysis of the concepts of acting, improvisation and spontaneity and then consolidates the elements of Moreno's theory of the nature and function of theatre, which are dispersed throughout his writings and have never been thoroughly collected in one place. This approach allows a critical comparison with two dramatic theorists who anticipated some of Moreno's ideas: Aristotle from whom he adapted the concept of catharsis and Goethe whom he saw as a forerunner of both therapy through drama and spontaneous production. ;The dissertation also examines how Moreno discovered the healing power of drama while he directed his Theatre of Spontaneity in Vienna in the early twenties, a project which he revived in New York in the early thirties. Next, it traces Moreno's influence on American theatre, observing especially the spread of his two main ideas: the therapeutic use of dramatic enactment and his call for spontaneity in theatre, therapy and education. ;Analyzing the dramatic and artistic way Moreno wrote and acted, I conclude that he was at heart a theatre person. Despite his pervasive influence, he failed however in his larger and perhaps overly idealistic vision of creating a global therapeutic community. ;The appendix contains Moreno's earliest theatrical text, The Godhead as Comedian, translated for the first time in its entirety from the 1919 German edition. Also included is a look at Moreno through his appearance in the New York Times