Theatre of the Absurd Critic Martin Esslin coined the term in his 1960 essay "Theatre of the Absurd." He related these plays based on a broad theme of the Absurd, similar to the way Albert Camus uses the term in his 1942 essay, "The Myth of Sisyphus".[2] The Absurd in these plays takes the form of man’s reaction to a world apparently without meaning, and/or man as a puppet controlled or menaced by invisible outside forces. Though the term is applied to a wide range of plays, some characteristics coincide in many of the plays: broad comedy, often similar to Vaudeville, mixed with horrific or tragic images; characters caught in hopeless situations forced to do repetitive or meaningless actions; dialogue full of clichés, wordplay, and nonsense; plots that are cyclical or absurdly expansive; either a parody or dismissal of realism and the concept of the "well-made play". Origin[edit] Significant precursors[edit] Elizabethan - Tragicomedy[edit] Formal experimentation[edit] Pataphysics, Surrealism, and Dadaism[edit]
Joan Littlewood Joan Maud Littlewood (6 October 1914 – 20 September 2002) was an English theatre director, best known for her work in developing the left-wing Theatre Workshop. She has been called "The Mother of Modern Theatre".[1] She also conceived and developed the Fun Palace in collaboration with architect Cedric Price, an experimental model of a participatory social environment that, although never realized, has become an important influence in the architecture of the 20th and 21st centuries.[citation needed] Early years[edit] Littlewood was born at Stockwell, London, and trained as an actress at RADA, but left after an unhappy start and moved to Manchester in 1934, where she met folksinger Jimmie Miller, who would later become known as Ewan MacColl. Career[edit] In 1941, Littlewood was banned from broadcasting on the BBC. Later life[edit] After Raffles's death in 1975, Littlewood left Theatre Workshop and stopped directing. References[edit] Further reading[edit] External links[edit]
Theatre of Cruelty The Theatre of Cruelty (French: Théâtre de la Cruauté) is a surrealist form of theatre theorised by Antonin Artaud in his book The Theatre and its Double. "Without an element of cruelty at the root of every spectacle," he writes, "the theatre is not possible. In our present state of degeneration it is through the skin that metaphysics must be made to re-enter our minds." Theory[edit] Artaud BNF Antonin Artaud spoke of cruelty (French: cruauté) not in the sense of violent behaviour, but rather the cruelty it takes for actors to show an audience a truth that they do not wish to see. Artaud thought that society and the world of theatre had become an empty shell. "ARTAUD THE LANGUAGE OF CRUELTY Writing from the experience that masterpieces are accomplices of power. Productions and staging[edit] Artaud wanted to “abolish the stage and auditorium,” and to do away with sets and props. Modern philosophical application[edit] See also[edit] External links[edit] References[edit] Antonin Artaud, Mary C.
Well-made play Form[edit] The techniques of well-made plays also lend themselves to comedies of situation, often farce. In The Quintessence of Ibsenism, Bernard Shaw proposed that Ibsen converted this formula for use in "serious" plays by substituting discussion for the plausible dénouement or conclusion. Thus, plays become open-ended, as if there were life for the protagonists beyond the last act curtain. Examples[edit] Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest exaggerates many of the conventions of the well-made play, such as the missing papers conceit (the hero, as an infant, was confused with the manuscript of a novel) and a final revelation (which, in this play, occurs about thirty seconds before the final curtain). Sardou's successful La Tosca (1887), the basis for Giacomo Puccini's opera Tosca (1900), typifies the well-made play in that it compresses its action into an eighteen-hour period, follows a credible unfolding of plot twists, with a shocking dénouement at the final curtain. Also, J.
The Living Theatre The Living Theatre is an American theatre company founded in 1947 and based in New York City. It is the oldest experimental theatre group still existing in the U.S. For most of its history it was led by its founders, actress Judith Malina and painter/poet Julian Beck; after Beck's death in 1985, company member Hanon Reznikov became co-director with Malina.[1] Goals and influences[edit] From its conception, The Living Theatre was dedicated to transforming the organization of power within society from a competitive, hierarchical structure to cooperative and communal expression. The primary text for The Living Theatre is The Theater and Its Double, an anthology of essays written by Antonin Artaud, the French playwright. History[edit] Actors Kesh Baggan and Gene Ardor, from the 2007 production of The Brig The Living Theatre has toured extensively throughout the world, often in non-traditional venues such as streets and prisons. In April 2008 Hanon Reznikov suffered a stroke. References[edit]
Fourth wall Speaking directly to or otherwise acknowledging the audience through a camera in a film or television program, or through this imaginary wall in a play, is referred to as "breaking the fourth wall" and is considered a technique of metafiction, as it penetrates the boundaries normally set up by works of fiction.[1][4] This can also occur in literature and video games when a character acknowledges the reader or player. The fourth wall should not be confused with the aside or the soliloquy, dramatic devices often used by playwrights where the character on stage is delivering an inner monologue, giving the audience insight into their thoughts. Convention of modern theatre[edit] Outside theatre[edit] The metaphor of the fourth wall has been used by the actor Sir Ian McKellen with regard to the work of the painter L. Lowry ... stood across the road from his subjects and observed. Fifth wall[edit] References[edit] External links[edit]
Aside Examples[edit] This technique is used by many playwrights, including William Shakespeare. For instance, in the play Macbeth, Macbeth has the following aside: Here is another example in the Shakespeare play Hamlet: This technique has frequently been used in film comedy, for example in the Bob Hope "Road" comedies, Woody Allen comedies and in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Uses[edit] Aside is used to gossip about characters or other characters without their consciousness, give audiences better understanding of matters, as well as make audiences laugh; this humour that may be generated is due to the fact that the character or characters being talked about is or are not conscious of the fact they being spoken of. See also[edit] "Breaking the fourth wall": Fourth wall References[edit] Glossary of Literary Terms, which mentions the asideBevington, David (1962).
Proscenium The interior of the Auditorium Building in Chicago built in 1887. The rectangular frame around the stage is the proscenium "arch". A proscenium (Greek: προσκήνιον) is the area of a theatre surrounding the stage opening. Origin[edit] View of the seating area and part of the stage at the Teatro Olimpico (1585) in Vicenza, Italy. The "proscenium" (stage) at the Teatro Olimpico. The oldest surviving indoor theater of the modern era, the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza (1585), is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the first example of a proscenium theatre. The Italian word for a scaenae frons is "proscenio." However, this translator fails to note the importance of the word "Frontispiece" during the long 18th century, which is a sensible and literal translation of the Italian phrase: "scaenae frons." However, the Teatro Olimpico's exact replication of the open and accessible Roman stage was the exception rather than the rule in sixteenth-century theatre design. Function[edit] References[edit]
Dario Fo Dario Fo (born 24 March 1926) is an Italian actor-playwright, comedian, singer, theatre director, stage designer, songwriter and political campaigner, and recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature.[1] "Arguably the most widely performed contemporary playwright in world theatre",[2] much of his dramatic work depends on improvisation and comprises the recovery of "illegitimate" forms of theatre, such as those performed by giullari (medieval strolling players)[3] and, more famously, the ancient Italian style of commedia dell'arte.[4] In 2010s he became the main ideologue of the Five Star Movement, the anti-establishment party led by Beppe Grillo,[5] and has been often referred by its members as "the Master".[6] Early life and education[edit] In 1940, Fo moved to Milan to study at the Brera Academy.[14] However, the Second World War intervened. Fo joined the fascist army of Mussolini's Repubblica Sociale Italiana. Career[edit] 1950s[edit] 1960s[edit] 1970s[edit]