Shawyer dissertation May 2008 final version - The University of ...

The Battle of Michigan Avenue was also a Yippie-style Theater of Cruelty event.First, the Yippies drew on the “poetry” of crowds: they started the week with a free rockconcert, an event guaranteed to attract big numbers. By working to establish a communityof thousands of demonstrators in Chicago, the Yippies paved the way for the powerful“agitation of tremendous masses” described by Artaud. Secondly, the Yippies tried toemphasize the dramatic aspects of the Chicago protests. They followed Artaud’s call fornew narratives based on “famous personages, atrocious crimes, and superhumandevotions.” Before Convention week properly began, they were presenting Pigasus as theYIP candidate. Finally, with their commitment to their cause clearly visible by theirwillingness to get arrested, they demonstrated the “superhuman devotions” of Artaud’svision. Shouting “Fuck you, LBJ” and “This land is our land” strongly communicated theagonistic struggle between state authority, represented by the executive power of thePresident and the National Guard, and the rag-tag revolutionaries on the streets.Another way that the Battle of Michigan Avenue emerged as a successful Theaterof Cruelty event was its use of Artaudian spectacle. Because the actions took place in thestreets and parks of Chicago, the division between actor and audience blurred. The actorsfor the week were the demonstrators, including the Yippies, and their audience was thosewhose opinions they wanted to change: the media, the delegates, the Democratic Party,and the citizens of Chicago. But a peaceful group of Chicago clergy who had come out tocall for an end to police attacks on the demonstrators were themselves attacked by theHilton. The television crews in front of the hotel got caught up in the rioting. And some187