The Theatre of Cruelty

• Of a l l t h e a va n t -ga r de f i gu r es bet ween t h e wa r s , An t on i n Ar t a u d (1 8 9 6 – 1 9 4 8 ) , or i gi n a l l y a

s u r r ea l i s t , wa s t o be t h e m os t i m por t a n t .

• S u r r ea l i s m em ph a s i zed on e a s pect of Fr eu d’s t ea ch i n gs : t h e i m por t a n ce of t h e u n con s ci ou s .

Accor di n g t o t h e s u r r ea l i s t s , s i gn i f i ca n t t r u t h s a r e t h os e deepl y bu r i ed i n t h e ps y ch e,
s u ppr es s e d by t h e con s ci ou s m i n d.

• T h e s u r r ea l i s t s pr om ot e d dr ea m s , a u t om a t i c wr i t i n g, a n d s t r ea m of con s ci ou s n es s a s pa t h s
t h r ou gh wh i ch i m a ges , i dea s , a n d exper i en c es bu r i ed i n t h e u n con s ci ou s cou l d es ca pe t h e
con s ci ou s m i n d’s con t r ol a n d r i s e t o t h e s u r fa ce, wh er e t h e i n s i gh t s t h ey offer e d cou l d be
u t i l i zed.

• ( So ur ces: H ist or y of t he Theat r e. Oscar G. Br o cket t and Fr anklin J. H ildy. Tent h Edit io n. Pear so n New Int er nat io na l Edit io n. 2014. pp. 414 // The
Essential Theatre. Oscar Brockett, Robert Ball, John Fleming, Andrew Carlson. Eleventh Edition. Cengage Learning. pp. 188 -189)
• Ar taud’s most signif ica nt contributions were to be ma de a f ter 1931, when the stimula tion
of a Ba linese da nce troupe motiva ted him to formula te his theor y of the thea tre,
published in 1938 a s The Theatre and Its Double .

• According to Ar taud, the thea tre in the Western world ha s been devoted to a ver y na rrow
ra nge of huma n experience, prima rily the psy chologica l problems of individua ls or the
social problems of groups.

• (Sources: History of the Theatre. Oscar G. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy. Tenth Edition. Pearson New International Edition. 2014. pp.414 // The Essential Theatre. Oscar Brockett,
Robert Ball, John Fleming, Andrew Carlson. Eleventh Edition. Cengage Learning. pp. 188 -189)
• But to Ar taud, the more impor ta nt a spects of existence a re those submerged in the
unconscious, those things tha t ca use div isions within people a nd between people a nd lea d
to hatred, violence, a nd disa ster.

• He believed that if given the proper thea trica l experiences, people ca n be freed from
ferocity a nd ca n then express the joy tha t civ iliza tion ha s forced them to repress, for the
thea tre can evacua te those feelings tha t a re usua lly expressed in more destructive wa ys.
Or, a s Ar ta ud put it, “the thea tre ha s been crea ted to dra in a bscesses collectively.”

• (Sources: History of the Theatre. Oscar G. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy. Tenth Edition. Pearson New International Edition. 2014. pp.414 // The Essential Theatre. Oscar Brockett,
Robert Ball, John Fleming, Andrew Carlson. Eleventh Edition. Cengage Learning. pp. 188 -189)
• Ar taud was cer tain tha t his goa ls could not be rea ched through a ppea ls to the ra tiona l
mind.

• Ra ther, it would be necessa r y to opera te directly upon the senses a nd brea k down the
audience’s defenses.

• Ar ta ud sometimes referred to his a s a “thea tre of cruelty,” since in order to a chieve its
ends it sought to force the a udience to confront itself. Thus, the cruelty he a dvoca ted is
not prima rily phy sica l but mora l or psy chologica l.

• (Sources: History of the Theatre. Oscar G. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy. Tenth Edition. Pearson New International Edition. 2014. pp.414 // The Essential Theatre. Oscar Brockett,
Robert Ball, John Fleming, Andrew Carlson. Eleventh Edition. Cengage Learning. pp. 188 -189)
• A r t a u d ’s i n t e n t i o n t o o p e ra t e d i r e c t l y o n t h e n e r v o u s s y s t e m l e d h i m t o s u g g e s t m a n y i n n o v a t i o n s i n
t h e a t r i c a l p ra c t i c e .

• A m o n g t h e s e w a s t h e s u b s t i t u t i o n o f n e w m y t h s f o r o u t w o r n d ra m a t i c “ m a s t e r p i e c e s ,” r e p l a c e m e n t o f
t h e t ra d i t i o n a l t h e a t r e b u i l d i n g w i t h r e m o d e l e d b a r n s , f a c t o r i e s , o r a i r p l a n e h a n g a r s .

• He wished to place the audience in the center of the action by locating acting areas in corners, on
overhead catwalks, and along the walls.

• Artaud wanted to do away with scenery altogether and replace it with symbolic costumes and
properties.

• I n l i g h t i n g , h e c a l l e d f o r a “ v i b ra t i n g , s h r e d d e d ” e f f e c t , a n d i n s o u n d h e f a v o r e d s h r i l l n e s s , a b r u p t
changes in volume, and the use of the human voice to create harmonies and dissonances.

• (Sources: History of the Theatre. Oscar G. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy. Tenth Edition. Pearson New International Edition. 2014. pp.414 // The Essential Theatre. Oscar Brockett, Robert Ball, John
Fleming, Andrew Carlson. Eleventh Edition. Cengage Learning. pp. 188 -189)
• H e fa v or ed gr ea t va r i et y i n s ou n d, ra n gi n g i n v ol u m e fr om a wh i s per t o a fa ct or y a t pea k
pr odu ct i on ; h e a dv oca t ed u s i n g t h e h u m a n v oi ce n ot on l y for s peech bu t for y el ps , cr i es , a n d
va r i ed em ot i on a l a n d a t m os ph er i c effe ct s . H e con s i der e d t h es e i n n ova t i v e m ea n s ca pa bl e of
by pa s s i n g t h e con s ci ou s m i n d.

• T h u s , Ar t a u d wa n t ed t o a s s a u l t t h e a u di en ce, t o br ea k down i t s r es i s t a n ce, t o pu r ge i t m ora l l y

a n d s pi r i t u a l l y, a n d h e s ou gh t t o do t h i s t h r ou gh dev i ces “a ddr es s ed f i r s t of a l l t o t h e s en s es
ra t h er t h a n t o t h e m i n d,” for “ t h e pu bl i c t h i n k s f i r s t of a l l wi t h i t s s en s es .”

• (Sources: History of the Theatre. Oscar G. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy. Tenth Edition. Pearson New International Edition. 2014. pp.414 // The Essential Theatre. Oscar Brockett,
Robert Ball, John Fleming, Andrew Carlson. Eleventh Edition. Cengage Learning. pp. 188 -189)
• W h er ea s B r ech t t h ou gh t t h e key t o i m pr ov i n g h u m a n i t y l i es i n t ra n s for m i n g ext er n a l
ci r cu m s t a n ces , Ar t a u d t h ou gh t t h e key l i es i n con fr on t i n g i n t er n a l di v i s i on s .

• Al t h ou gh Ar t a u d’s t h eor i es h a d a l r ea dy i n f l u en ced s om e di r ect or s a n d cr i t i cs , t h ey di d n ot

a t t ra ct wi de a t t en t i on i n E n gl a n d a n d Am er i ca u n t i l Pet er B r ook bega n t o exper i m en t wi t h t h em
i n t h e ea r l y 1 9 6 0 s .

• In 1 9 6 3 , B r ook , a s s i s t ed by C h a r l es Ma r owi t z a n d wi t h s u ppor t fr om t h e Roya l S h a kes pea r e

C om pa ny, s el ect ed a gr ou p of t wel v e a ct or s wi t h wh om t h ey wor ked t h r ou gh ou t t h e 1 9 6 3 – 1 9 6 4
t h ea t r e s ea s on . T h r ou gh exer ci s e s t h ey exper i m en t e d wi t h s ou n d (m a de wi t h t h ei r v oi ces , on
t h ei r bodi es , a n d wi t h obj ect s ), m ov em en t , r hy t h m , a n d pa n t om i m e; t h ey s ou gh t t o r epl a ce
cl i ch éd s ol u t i on s wi t h i n n ova t i v e, n on r ea l i s t i c m ea n s of expr es s i on . T h ey a l s o s ou gh t t o r epl a ce
t h e t y pi ca l pa t t er n of begi n n i n g -m i ddl e - en d dev el opm en t wi t h di s con t i n u ou s or s i m u l t a n eou s
s cen es .
• (Sources: History of the Theatre. Oscar G. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy. Tenth Edition. Pearson New International Edition. 2014. pp.414 // The Essential Theatre. Oscar Brockett,
Robert Ball, John Fleming, Andrew Carlson. Eleventh Edition. Cengage Learning. pp. 188 -189)
• They per formed a “Colla ge Ha mlet ” with sequences from Sha kespea re’s text rea rra nged,
lines from different scenes juxta posed, cha ra cters dropped or blended, a nd discontinuous
fra gments inser ted. A f iv e - week public showing of the group’s work wa s presented under
the title “Thea tre of Cruelty.”

• (Sources: History of the Theatre. Oscar G. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy. Tenth Edition. Pearson New International Edition. 2014. pp.414 // The Essential Theatre. Oscar Brockett,
Robert Ball, John Fleming, Andrew Carlson. Eleventh Edition. Cengage Learning. pp. 188 -189)
Sources

• Histor y of the Theatre . Osca r G. Brockett a nd Fra nklin J. Hildy. Tenth Edition. Pea rson
New Interna tiona l Edition. 2014. pp.414

• The Essential Theatre . Osca r Brockett, Rober t Ba ll, John Fleming, Andrew Ca rlson.
Eleventh Edition. Cenga ge Lea rning. pp. 188 -189