20th Century

What are the 20th Century -Isms?

The 20th century was a period of great change in every aspect of life and each
decade is noted for some event or development that characterised it.

For example the 1930s are associated with the poverty of the Great Depression
and the rise of fascism while freedom and permissiveness of the 1960s led to it
being called the Swinging 60s. Theatre holds up the mirror to nature and these
new forms of Theatre served to bring together the many different influences
operating in Society in the 20th century.

Many of the theatre movements from the 20th century end in ‘ism’ so they are
often referred to as the 20th century -isms. You will be introduced to the -isms
that had a major influence on Absurd Theatre.
 A Changing World!
The 20th century was both exciting and turbulent. The rapid pace of developments in science and
technology in this era led to an explosion of knowledge that changed the way in which people
thought and behaved. These changes meant that long-held beliefs and traditions were questioned
and challenged on the basis of new theories and discoveries. Many influential new theories came
from science and philosophy.

In the 19th century, the nature of God was challenged by the

ideas of thinkers such as Friedrich Nietzsche, who wrote about
morality. He believed that the Church had corrupted
Christianity, and proposed rather that each individual should
give value to his or her own existence. He lamented the fact
that God had become dead to people, and looked for ways to
overcome nihilism*, a belief that the world is unknowable and
meaningless. Ironically, he is often viewed as a ‘nihilist’,
although this was a philosophy he actively spoke out against.
Charles Darwin developed the idea of evolution* based on
natural selection, suggesting that all living things share
common descent, in other words, have evolved from a
common ancestor or ancestral gene pool. His ideas now form
the basis of biological thought – affecting our understanding
of subjects as different as biodiversity and resistance to
antibiotics. They were highly controversial at the time, as they
disputed the Biblical description of Creation.

The scientist Albert Einstein influenced 20th-century thought

with his theory of relativity. This theory revolutionised our
understanding of time, distance, mass and energy. He gave
scientists the tools to better understand cosmology and the
universe. He contributed to the development of nuclear
physics, but later campaigned for nuclear disarmament.
Sigmund Freud was another thinker who had a huge impact on
ideas and beliefs in the 20th century. He pioneered
psychoanalysis and analysed the subconscious* and dreams..
He saw religion as an illusion and moved towards atheism* in
his thinking. Freud’s theories on motivation and behaviour
related to the id*, the ego* and the superego* influenced many
playwrights and performers. These interpretations of human
behaviour directly impacted on how the human condition was
portrayed in theatre.

Politically, Capitalism* had been the dominant economic policy

for several centuries – an economic system characterised by
private ownership and a free market economy. In the late 19th
century, thinkers like Karl Marx and Friederich Engels began to
criticise the system as exploitative and dehumanising. They
proposed in its place a system called Marxism* – a theory of
social evolution, which sees history as a series of
revolutionary socio-political changes arising from changes in
the socio-economic relationships that form the basis of
society. Karl Marx believed in an ongoing class struggle
between property-owners and the working class.
 The inevitable result of this struggle would be revolution and
the overthrow of capitalism. Then a classless society could be
formed in which state ownership would ensure that all
received what they needed. Brecht’s plays demonstrate the
problems created by capitalism and promote a Marxist agenda.

Communism- is the term used to refer to this ideal classless society

where there is common ownership of the means of production. The
political tensions between communism and capitalism would underpin
much of what happened in the 20th century. Further political
developments were the growth of nationalism* and fascism (where there
is state control of all aspects of life). These political movements led to
increased militarisation of society, ethnic cleansing and separatism*
.Two world wars (as well as other major conflicts) and the creation of the
atomic bomb, profoundly affected people’s values, belief systems and
outlook on life in general.

Subjective Reality - truth
could be found from
experience. The play is a
metaphor and symbols
are used to evoke feeling.
Expressionism
Symbolism
Subjective Reality - no
absolute truth. Truth was
what lay below the surface.
They focused on a
humanitarian approach to
life. All about experience of
characters not the world they
lived in.
Glorified Machine Age -
amalgamated all art
forms to compress time
and space. Mostly this
introduced the
popularity of mixed-
media shows. Constructivism
Futurism
Biomechanics - emotions could
be evoked using a pattern of
muscular movements. Theatre
was non-decorative and used to
reflect human condition
(Meyerhold and the grotesque).
There were multi-purpose stage
settings.
1. These summaries will help you
understand how these
movements impacted Theatre
of the Absurd.

2.