The theatre of the new religious movements of Europe and America from the nineteenth century to the present

Moving between the disciplines of theatre studies and sociology of religion, this dissertation examines "New Religious Movements" or "NRMs" that were founded in Europe and America in the last two hundred years. Much of the general population of the societies in which these NRMs emerged consider them to be an alternative to conventional religions, and all of the NRMs studied here incorporate elements of Western esotericism---astrology, invocation, tarot card divination, alchemy, etc.---into their teachings. They also create performances that they describe in theatrical language. The NRMs treated here include The Theosophical Society, the Anthroposophical Society, the Ordo Templi Orientis, and various Neo-Pagan groups.; My dissertation considers the ways and reasons that NRMs use theatre---a subject seldom discussed by theatre historians. NRMs sometimes use theatre to articulate their teachings, because, unlike the theology of well-known religions, NRM theology is unfamiliar to many people. Other NRMs draw connections between their own theatre and the dramatic traditions of ancient mystery religions---a technique that provides a sense of history, a basis for creating new theatrical forms, and a way of differentiating their tradition from the traditional religions of the societies in which they emerge. Regardless of stylistic and philosophical differences, all of the NRM theatre examined here represent "theatre" as having the potential to spiritually transform human beings.; This study provides a variety of new perspectives about the relationship between theatre and religion, establishes criteria for discovering religious theatre in non-traditional settings, and provides specific examples of how religiosity affects theatrical practice. It also broadens and deepens our understanding of how theatre and religion have interacted in the past and how they interact in the present. Thus, Western religious theatre is presented here as a diverse and living tradition out which new theatrical forms will arise in the future.