This stunning contribution to the field of theatre history is the first in-depth look at avant-garde theatre in the United States from the early 1950s to the 1990s. <EM>American Avant-Garde Theatre</EM> offers a definition of the avant-garde, and looks at its origins and theoretical foundations by examining:<BR> *Gertrude Stein<BR> *John Cage<BR> *The Beat writers<BR> *Avant-garde cinema<BR> *Abstract Expressionism<BR> *Minimalism<BR> There are fascinating discussions and illustrations of the productions of the Living Theatre, the Wooster Group, Open Theatre, Ontological-Hysteric Theatre and Performance Group. among many others. Aronson also examines why avant-garde theatre declined and virtually disappeared at the end of the twentieth century.