1. Some 20th Century Theatre Innovations

2. Many innovators of modern drama were too confronting and different to be accepted and understood in their own life time
This was certainly the case with people such as Brecht, Artaud and others
Their ideas have now been accepted and allowed to influence many directors, designers and actors

3. Theatre Styles
Theatre of Cruelty
Poor Theatre
Theatre of the Absurd

4. Theatre of Cruelty Antonin Artaud French 1895 – 1948
He was writing at the same time as Brecht was writing his Epic, political plays

5. Artaud used the term “Theatre of Cruelty” to define the style of work he believed was needed to revitalise the theatre
His theories were based around utilising a physical theatre language
He believed text provided nothing more than a starting point

6. Sound, space, movement, light, spectacle and non verbally based acting would combine, in Artaud’s view, to excite, shock and enthral audiences, forcing them to confront the inner, primal self

7. Artaud proclaimed that theatre should return to its primitive roots and aim to provide an experience of communal ritual
Artaud was interested in exploring the human mind

8. Artaud was a surrealist in the 1920’s
He believed many dark secrets were hidden deep inside our minds (subconscious) that we are not aware of, that caused us to do the things we did
Artaud was deeply influenced by the Surrealist movement even when he left the movement

9. Surrealism – Salvador Dali
Another member of the Surrelist movement was Salvador Dali
He was famous for his dream paintings filled with objects

10. Salvador Dali’s paintings

12. Artaud belived that theatre should force people to confront and heal their inner selves or they will become negative and destructive
He disapproved of the typical plays that dealt with social problems or individuals

13. Unlike Brecht who wanted to brainwash his audience with strong messages, Artaud thought that was a waste of time
Theatre needed to be more primitive and instinctive if it was to really touch people and change them
He used the term “Theatre of Cruelty” because he was forcing the audience to face itself. He was being ‘cruel to be kind’

14. Rituals and symbols were seen as powerful
The aim of Theatre of Cruelty was to crahs through the shell of bourgeois civilisation and its cultural restrictions and to get to a deeper, more spiritual plane
His quest was as much socially motivated as artistically

15. Theatre Spaces
Artaud felt that plays should be taken out of the traditional theatre building which he rejected as being too formal
He preferred large spaces such as warehouses
The audience intermingled with the actors
No scenery except for symbols

16. Lighting was to be fast and exciting
Sound was also important
Artaud believed that the audience could be ‘assaulted’ with a fast paced light/sound/human show
He believed the audiences’ inner selves would be released and be confronted and healed

17. Although Artaud’s aims might seem far fetched, his ideas can be adapted into contemporary preformances
These days many people use drama in Artaud’s way to heal from psychological pain and this is called psychodrama

18. Artaud suffered mental and emotional breakdowns
This perhaps explains why he was interested in this area of drama
After he died his published works inspired many dramatists
In 1963 the Theatre of Cruelty was formed and Artaud’s ideas were materialised and toured

19. The Theatre and Its Double
Artaud’s book, “The Theatre and Its Double” was originally released in 1933
It was not really influential until after his death
Practioners such as Julian Beck and Judith Malina, founders of America’s Living Theatre, Joseph Chaikin and his Open Theatre, English director Peter Brook and Jerzy Grotowski, founder of the Polish Laboratory theatre, were all influenced by “The Theatre and Its Double”

20. Although this was not a theatre style based on text it still inspired several works in the written form
The most important of these written plays was the Peter Weiss’ play “Marat/Sade”

21. Poor Theatre Jerzy Grotowski Born in Poland 1933
His ideas about acting and theatre have conrtibuted greatly in that they reclaimed the essential importance and role of the actor

22. Grotowski reminded people that one did not need expensive sets, lighting and costumes
His theatre was actor based
Hence his theatre was called “Poor Theatre”

23. When all stage elements are removed, only the essentials are left – actors and audience
The relationship between actor and audience is a powerful one which Grotowski studied closely as part of his ‘laboratory’

24. Great demands are made on actors in Poor Theatre
They are the centre of attention, the key
Effective actors must work on themselves until they can give of themselves fully
Grotowski worked intensely with his actors as he recognised that all individuals are unique

25. “Towards a Poor Theatre”
Grotowski’s book “Towards a Poor Theatre” included many of the exercises that he used to free up his actors
Some of his techniques included silence/inner meditation, physical endurance and training in emotional memory*
*Emotional memory is reliving an event to recreate the emotion.

26. Theatre Spaces Plays were staged in diverse settings
Ordinary rooms to warehouses
Like Artaud he saw no need to separate the audience and the actors
He wanted to create a dynamic audience relationship

27. Grotowski believed the power of the actor should be so strong that he/she could transform anything around him through the power of his/her belief
In other words the floor could become the sea or a boat, etc

28. Grotowski’s influence came at the best possible time for it seemed to re-invent drama and the theatre t a time when dramatists had to compete with films, videos and television. The only plays at the time seemed to be lavish, expensive musicals
Gortowski showed us that even a vulnerable lone actor with no props can have as much impact as any blockbuster film

30. Theatre of the Absurd
Absurdism was a movement based on the ideas of Existentialism
Existentialism was first developed by Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus
They were both French
According to existentialists, life is meaningless – just a series of acts - nothing

31. Jean-Paul Sartre

32. Albert Camus

33. Absurdist theatre rose to prominence in the 1950’s
Its precursors can probably be found in the works of earlier playwrights like Kafka, Jarry and Pirandello

34. Kafka

35. Jarry

36. Pirandello

37. Famous Absurdist Playwrights
Eugene Ionesco
Samuel Beckett
Jean Genet

38. Eugene Ionesco

39. Ionesco’s Plays
Rhinoceros
The Bald Soprano
The Chairs

40. Samuel Beckett

41. His plays
Waiting For Godot
Endgame
Krapp’s Last Tape

42. Jean Genet

43. His Plays
The Maids
The Balcony
The Blacks

44. Absurdist Plays
Absurdist plays highlight the meaningless or absurdity of life and often feature an underlying despair
The fundamental belief expressed in absurdist works is that humankind is lost in a godless universe, where their actions and behaviour become absurd and useless

45. The illogical and the irrational are at the heart of most absurdist drama
Characters tend to be archetypal
Language is irrelevant in the sense that it fails to convey meaning
Time and place have no real relevance either

46. Despite this grim outlook, Absurdist Theatre is essentially comic in nature
Humankind is deluded in its belief that it is at the centre of the universe
This is seen as a ridiculous proposal which warrants nothing more than laughter and derision

47. Features of Absurdist Plays
Features may include:
Non-reality
No sense of time/place
Unusual characters
Absurd happenings
Chaos
Simple/minimal sets
Meaningless dialogue/word games
Repetition highlighting futility
Humour

48. Some people find Absurdist plays hard to understand and cope with, however the movement produced some very impressive plays which are still staged regularly today