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August Strindberg
Strindberg was a famous Swedish playwright who specialized in expressionism. One of his most famous and important plays is "A Dream Play" (1902). According to the text, "He strove to overcome the limitations in theatre such as time, space, logical sequence, and appearance by using the viewpoint of a dreamer," (Brockett, et al. 175). He is considered to be modernism's first revolutionary. Many expressionists borrowed their techniques from Strindberg. -
Eugene O'Neill
O'Neill was the first American dramatist to gain international recognition. Early on in his career, he was aided by groups modeled after Europe's independent theatres. O'Neill was discovered by the Provincetown Players. He explored a variety of dramatic styles such as expressionism, Greek tragedy, and even autobiographical. He won the Pulitzer Prize four times and is the only American playwright to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, (Brockett, et al. 177). -
"The Hairy Ape"
This play, written by Eugene O'Neill, has a central theme of humanity's search for identity in a hostile environment. Few of the characters in the play have names because most are representative types, which shows that humans in the modern world are distorted. According to Brockett et al, "The workers have been reduced to the same level as animals, and the rich have become useless puppets," (179). Because of this, "The Hairy Ape" is a great example of expressionism in the modernism period. -
Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson was an American singer, actor, and political activist. In 1922, he began his theatre career. According to vam.ac.uk, "Robeson would become a big part of the Unity Theatre, a theatre that 'promoted plays that dealt with class division, alienation, and left-wing causes,'" (2). In 1938, he turned down the opportunity of starring in the play "Plant in the Sun". He continued his successful theatre career until he was ostracized for his political views and moved to England (Britannica). -
Bertolt Brecht
Brecht was a German poet and playwright that was most associated with epic theatre. According to Brockett et al, "In 1926, Brecht embraced Marxism and the belief that values are determined by the prevailing economic mode of production," (184). Brecht was famous for adopting the concept of "alienation." He would urge his performers to present characters rather than fully identify with them, and set the action of his plays in other times and places to draw attention to the construction of events. -
Stock Market Crash
Along with the growing popularity of films with sound, the stock market crash of 1929 was one of the events that hindered the success of entertainment theatre for about ten years. According to Brockett et al, "Between 1929 and 1939, approximately two-thirds of all live entertainment theatres in the U.S. were closed," (180). During this economic depression, ticket prices for films were also significantly less than those for live theatre, which made them more popular. -
Group Theatre
"The Group Theatre's directors, actors, teachers, and producers included Lee Strasberg, Harold Clurman, Stella Adler, Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis, Lee J. Cobb, and Morris Carnovsky," (Brockett et al. 182). During the depression, the Group Theatre presented many critically acclaimed productions on Broadway at the time, and most dealt with the current social and economic issues of that time. The Group Theatre was disbanded in 1941 due to internal dissension. -
World War II
World War II had a big impact on modernism in theatre. Not only did it shut down the production of theatre in that time, it also encouraged people to "open up their minds to new ideas of art, literature, and social aspects," (Brockett et al. 189). World War II resulted in disruption of theatrical activity in many countries around the world. This resulted in the motivation of reassessing values of theatrical practices. -
"The Good Person of Setzuan"
"The Good Person of Setzuan" is a famous play written by Bertolt Brecht before and during World War II. The play takes place in China and illustrates the theme of irony as it is about the Three Gods who have come to earth looking for a good person, but can not find anyone suitable other than a prostitute (Brockett et al. 186). The play ends with the prostitute being pregnant, having no money, and her problems are left unresolved. -
"Waiting for Godot"
"Waiting for Godot" is a famous play that was created by absurdist playwright Samuel Beckett. According to Brockett et al., "He received absurdist drama international recognition from this play," (192).The plot of the play involves to men dressed in dirty clothes who wait for Godot, someone they claim is an acquaintance but would not recognize if they saw him. In the end, Godot never comes, and the audience is left with no knowledge of who Godot is and if he will ever come.
