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Experimental theatre is a general term for various movements in Western theatre that began in the 20th century as a reaction against the then-dominant conventions governing the writing and production of drama, and against naturalism in particular. The term has shifted over time as the mainstream theatre world has adopted many forms that were once considered radical. It is used more or less interchangeably with the term avant-garde theatre. Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ...
(19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999...
Naturalism in art refers to the depiction of realistic objects in a natural setting. ...
See also: History of theatre. // The origin of me pooping my pants and Asian theatre can be traced to over 3500 years ago, beginning with early 3000BC Main article: Sanskrit Plays Folk theatre and dramatics can be traced to the religious ritualism of the Vedic Aryans. ...
Experimental Theatre Experimental Theatre is used to provoke your audience to change their opinion on a topic that you would like to give exposure or to provide a message or moral. This style of theatre is mostly used in conjunction with Theatre of Cruelty, which is basically the same thing, but the aim is to make your audience feel as uncomfortable as possible. There are many techniques which can be used in Experimental Theatre, such as Audience Participation, Sound Effects, the way you use the Stage and Physical Elements. Often the border between reality and stage is erased, for instance when physical cruelty is used; the audience will not like what is done to the characters on stage, but once they realise that for instance real pain is inflicted on an actor, they will experience a completely new, terrible emotion: no longer are they watching a staged imitation of cruelty, they are now witnessing something terrible that is really done to a human being (the poor actor who has to suffer because of his part in the play) - provided of course that the stage effect is done convincingly. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ...
The Theatre of Cruelty is a concept in Antonin Artauds book Theatre and its Double. ...
Look up Stage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Audience Participation Look up Stage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Physical Effects is the term given to a sub-category of Special Effects in which mechanical or physical effects are recorded. ...
Audience participation can range from anything like asking for volunteers onto a stage to screaming in their faces. Be creative here!! By using audience participation, you are inviting them to feel a certain way and by doing so they will change their attitudes, values and beliefs in regard to your topic (which is your aim in ET). For example, in a performance on bullying your character may strut over to an audience member, size them up and challenge them to a fight on the spot. The terrified look on their face will hone in the message of bullying with that spectator and those around them; and also win you respect from your teacher as this is excellent for showcasing your focus. The whole "experimental" part of the theatre means exactly that - you can do whatever you like, as long as it involves the audience and makes them think about the issue at hand.
Sound Effects
Sound effects have a variety of uses, from evoking emotions to creating tension to shocking and terrifying all. When you use your sound effects, think back to you topic and try to tie them in. For example, murder. At the start of the performance, with the curtains closed, you could have people screaming, then gun shots, then dead silence. This technique is very TOC-orientated, but preys on the audience's sense of sound. By isolating that sense, it will seem more real to them and really freak them out, which will make them think about the performance, and, hello: get them to change their opinion on the issue.
Stage Look up Stage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
The way in which you use the stage is very important. In conventional theatre, actors were confined to the stage and didn't venture down into the audience. But in experimental theatre, that's half the fun!! You need to get your message across however you can, and if that means that you have to go down into the audience and sit on someone's lap to get their attention, by all means do so! This also ties in with Sound Effects. An experimental theatre performance isn't complete without at least one instance in which you go down into the audience. You can do whatever you like for a stage - in experimental, anything goes! Try different locations, like in the middle of a field, in a carpark, a dark room with obstacles: anything that will make your audience think of the issue (and if it's related to your issue!) This ties in quite nicely with Theatre of Cruelty, so keep that in mind when constructing a performance. For example, if you wanted to have a classroom scene, have it in a classroom! Your audience will be so perplexed at the start, but think you were very clever afterwards. The Theatre of Cruelty is a concept in Antonin Artauds book Theatre and its Double. ...
Physical Effects Physical Effects is the term given to a sub-category of Special Effects in which mechanical or physical effects are recorded. ...
Think back to your elements of drama: we have space, movement, mood, tension, language, symbolism...bla bla bla, you get the idea. Now, experiment with them!! In your piece about bullying, for example, you might have the villain get the victim and use slapstick...behind a sheet and use a silhouette effect. You could have a knife and plunge it into your victim...rather, the floor next to the victim so the others can't see! Be creative. The purpose is to shock the audience into changing their view on the issue and to make the situation feel as real as possible. So if you are doing a bullying scene, don't be afraid to swear, as this is a real-life situation. And if you've been doing your other effects right, your audience will be so enthralled they will become even more terrified and...change their opinions.
Think back to Augusto Boal and how he used the Legitimate Theater on the people of Rio to find out what they wanted changed about their community, and how he used it in real life to change legislation as a councillor. And that's exactly what experimental theatre encourages us to do - to make society, or our audience at least, change their attitudes, values and beliefs on an issue and to do something about it. Augusto Boal (born 1931 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is an innovative and influential theatrical director, writer and politician. ...
Key figures
Writers Antonin Artaud Antoine Marie Joseph Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud (born September 4, 1896, in Marseille; died March 4, 1948 in Paris) was a French playwright, poet, actor and director. ...
{{dy justified his choice of form, and from about 1929 on he began to interpret its penchant for contradictions, much as had Eisenstein, in terms of the dialectic. ...
Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager and filmmaker. ...
Dario Fo (born March 24, 1926) is an Italian satirist, playwright, theater director, actor, and composer. ...
Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish dramatist, novelist and poet. ...
Directors For the British politician, see Peter Brooke. ...
Richard Foreman (born in New York on 10 June 1937) is a playwright and avant-garde theater pioneer; he is the founder of the Ontological-Hysteric Theater. ...
Andre Gregory (born May 11, 1934, New York City) is a Jewish-American director and actor. ...
Jerzy Grotowski (11 August 1933 – 14 January 1999) was a Polish theatre director and a leading figure in avant garde theatre of the 20th century. ...
Elizabeth LeCompte (born April 28, 1944) is a founding member of The Wooster Group. ...
Tadeusz Kantor (April 6, 1915 – December 8, 1990) was a Polish painter, scene designer and theatre director. ...
Vsevolod Emilevich Meyerhold (born Karl Kazimir Theodor Meyerhold) (1874 - 1940) was a Russian theatrical director, actor and theorist. ...
Ariane Mnouchkine (born 1939 in Boulogne-sur-Seine) is a French stage and film director. ...
Ellen Stewart Actor History: Wendy Drew (Original cast member; April 2nd, 1956 to Fall 1960) Patricia Bruder (December 1960-1995; 1998) Children Dan Stewart (with Tim Cole; Deceased) Dr. Carol Ann Stewart Ward (with David Stewart) Dawn Stewart (with David Stewart) Paul Stewart (stepson; deceased) Ellen Stewart (born November 7...
Groups
Complicite is more than a theatre company: it is a state of mind. So begins their website (January 2005). ...
Double Edge Theatre is a physical theatre company located in Ashfield, Massachusetts. ...
Big Art Group is a New York-based experimental performance ensemble that uses language and media to push formal boundaries of theatre, film and visual arts to create culturally transgressive works. ...
Puppets found in the Bread & Puppet Museum in Glover, Vermont The Bread and Puppet Theater (often known simply as Bread & Puppet) is a politically radical puppet theater, active since the 1960s, currently based in Glover, Vermont. ...
The Great Jones Repertory Company is the name of the main performing company at La MaMa, E.T.C. in New York City. ...
La MaMa Theater La MaMa, Experimental Theater Club, is the brainchild of Ms. ...
The Living Theatre is an American theatre company founded in 1947 and based in New York City. ...
Mabou Mines is an avant-garde theatre company founded in 1970 and based in New York City. ...
The Open Theater was an experimental theatre group active from 1963 to 1974. ...
The Playhouse of the Ridiculous was a New York City theatre presenting works produced and directed by John Vaccaro and Charles Ludlam. ...
Squat Theatre is a theatre group who moved to New York City in 1978. ...
The Tantalus Theatre Group is a Chicago based collaborative-arts organization focusing on experimental theater. ...
The Wooster Group is an ensemble of artists who collaborate on the development and production of theatre and media pieces. ...
The Provincetown Players was a theater company located in Provincetown, Massachusetts on Cape Cod, and famous for producing the plays of American playwright Eugene ONeill. ...
The Magic Theatre is located at 325 South 16th Streeet in Omaha, Nebraska. ...
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