Rebellion, Community, and Institutionalization in Three Theatre Festivals

This paper will examine the rebellious and community-friendly characteristics of three Manhattan-based theatre festivals, as well as the degrees to which institutional pressures have affected these festivals' abilities to subvert artistic norms and catalyze community-building. The New York Shakespeare Festival's Shakespeare in the Park series, the New York International Fringe Festival, and the 92nd Street Y's Festival of 'Wrights were each founded to encourage insurgency and cohesion on both civic and aesthetic levels.