Introduction to theatre styles!!!! The “isms”—romanticism, realism and naturalism

ROMANTICISM Cultural movement during the 1800’s Rejected neoclassical rules and suggested that genius creates its own rules Focused on emotions, sentiment and imagination Elaborately staged and used supernatural elements Heroes were independent and defended individuality Common theme was the gulf between human beings’ spiritual aspirations and their physical limitations

NATURALISM Mid-19th Century Based on views on contemporary scientific theory Aimed to present ordinary life as accurately as possible – no theatrical sense– in the extreme “slice of life” and “real flies on real meat” Showed how human beings act in response to forces of nature and society that are beyond their control Subject matter emphasized the boredom, depression, and frustration of contemporary life

REALISM Late-19th Century movement Replaced the artificial romantic style with accurate depictions of people in plausible situations Writers refused to make simple moral judgments or to resolve dramatic action neatly Presents life as it actually is; characters talk, dress, and act as people in ordinary life do Actors attempt to become their characters; living their lives in real room with the audience spying on them through the invisible fourth wall Ushered in modern theatre and revolutionized contemporary theatre in every aspect, from scenery, to styles of acting, from dialogue to makeup

SYMBOLISM Anti-realist movment between 1880-1910 Writers belived that drama should present the mystery of being and the cosmos—the infinite qualities of the human spirit and inner meaning of life Characters were figures representative of the human condition Stage pictures had only the bare essentials necessary to evoke the dramatic universe Themes were chosen from myth of fairy tales and used poetic language and a deliberately artificial style of staging

EXISTENTIALISM Philosophical doctrine developed after World War I Rejects traditional beliefs Writers believe there is little meaning to existence, that God does not exist, and that humanity is therefore alone in an irrational universe An individual must accept responsibility for his/her own actions Emphasis is on freedom and the moral responsibility of the individual and shows a distrust of philosophical idealism Disillusionment Plays are based on traditional cause-and-effect logic, and the characters are recognizable, fully developed human beings

EPIC/THEATRICALISM Began by Bertolt Brecht Reactions in the 1920’s and 30’s to an over-emphasis on artistic illusion and aesthetic emotion in the theatre Believes that theatre should serve a social purpose of educating audiences Narrators are often used to comment on the dramatic action Political drama intended to appeal to reason rather than emotions that uses a journalistic, non-emotional style that incorporates signs, projections, films, etc. Attempts to distance the audience from the action and characters— ”alienation effect”—in order to allow them to concentrate on a play’s message Epic theater usually deals with history of foreign lands, covers a long time, shifts locale frequently, has intricate plots, and includes many characters

ABSURDISM Genre of the 1950’s and 60’s Stage conventions were abandoned in order to present a view of the world as meaningless and incomprehensible Believe that much of what happens in life cannot be logically explained; it is ridiculous and absurd and presents human existence as futile Plots do not have traditional structure Characters are not realistic and they usually fail to communicate Setting is frequently a strange, unrecognizable locale Dialogue seems to make little sense and the language is unreliable Writers are highly individualistic