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Period: to
Modernism
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"A Dream Play" By August Strindberg
Strindberg's "A Dream Play" took on the perspective of a dreamer. The scenes in this play flow without logical transitions and, as a result, make little sense when combined. Characters were abruptly turned into others, the narrative is disorganized, and the main tale revolves around tortured and alienated humanity.(The Essential Theatre) -
Futurism
Futurist artists wished to depart from "conventional" versions of theater and other arts in order to create a more current version. Futurism originated in Italy and sought to express a more contemporary way of living. This includes automobiles, railroads, and other more efficient modes of transportation. -
Dada Play- "The Gas Heart"
Tristan Tzara, the "Dada genius," wrote the play "The Gas Heart." The characters in this drama are named after bodily parts. They interact with one another and with the world around them in "total incoherence." Incoherent sentences are repeated by these characters. This play is intended to establish an universe in which there are no rules and no knowledge that there are none. -
The Birth of Dada
Dada was founded on a rejection of all of the principles that sparked World War I. Many artists sought sanctuary in neutral Switzerland throughout the war. Tristan Tzara became their spokesman in this situation. The dadaists aimed to replace classical aesthetic ideals such as logic, reason, and unity with chance and illogic. (The Essential Theatre) -
"The Emperor Jones" by Eugene O'Neill
"The Emperor Jones" was an expressionist drama that depicted a complicated mental condition. It was also the first American play with a racially diverse cast, with a black actor playing the lead role. The drama depicts a confessed black guy oppressing native country in ways similar to how the British and Americans previously did. O'Neill's work was a significant step toward the growth of expressionism as well as racial equality in the arts. (Encyclopedia- The Emperor Jones.) -
"The Hairy Ape" by Eugene O'Neill
"The Hairy Ape" by Eugene O'Neill is an expressionist work that explores humanity's search for identity in a harsh and materialistic society. In this play, few characters have names; the rest of them symbolize different sorts of individuals and organizations. He claims that modern humanity have been twisted, with the poorer classes depicted as animals and the wealthy as puppets. (The Essential Theatre) -
"Machinal" by Sophie Treadwell
"Machinal" was a drama written by Sophie Treadwell. It was an expressionism drama inspired on the killer Ruth Snyder's real-life case. Overall, the play is a "study of how culture may incite a woman's self-destruction." The woman is pushed into marrying a man, and she opposes him. An affair makes her understand what she is missing in her marriage, and she murders her husband as a result. -
"The Seashell and the Clergyman" by Germaine Dulac
Germaine Dulac directed "The Seashell and the Clergyman," which was written by Antonin Artuad. This film, like many others, sparked controversy. This picture caused a little riot, and it was not considered "mainstream entertainment." This film demonstrates how effortlessly things may blend into one another. -
The Federal Theatre Project
The Federal Theatre Project was the first time the government provided financial assistance to a theatre. This was done during the Great Depression, which provided employment for many jobless professionals, including directors, performers, and even stage technicians, among others. This provided people with free and unfiltered theatre. -
The Theatre of the Absurd
Martin Esslin gave this movement its name in 1960 in a "effort to explain and identify" the movement. Many notable plays were featured in this movement, which were dubbed "anti-plays." These plays were written to demonstrate how the world was "meaningless." Many individuals have raised the issue of why people exist at all, and many times there has been no response. This movement lasted roughly from 1940 until 1960.