2019 Year 12 IB Extended Essays

to describe a theatre “more real than reality” (Esslin, 1991); a theatre in which representing the essence of things took precedence over representing their material form. When Breton co- opted the term he altered its meaning to better fit with his intentions for the movement.

Another important term which requires definition is the Theatre of Cruelty. The synthesis of Artaud’s complicated perspectives on the theatre, he intended to do away with text and language as the theatre’s primary modes of delivering meaning. Artaud found much more value in gesture, the ritual elements of theatre, and the mythic. His use of the word Cruelty is complicated and difficult to understand, but he goes to great lengths to explain its use in The Theatre and Its Double. Artaud does not mean “Cruelty” in the sense of violence as it is commonly used. For Artaud, a cruel theatre is one that is essentially difficult- a challenge for its audience, actors, and directors (Artaud, 2010). He considered realist modern dramas condescending and ultimately pointless, arguing instead that theatre needed to better engage its audiences, and should be addressing issues of a more profound nature. Artaud’s vision of theatre was as a ritual tool: as a method of trance which would awaken the subconscious of the audience. Part of cruelty for the audience was the assault of the senses. The use of incomprehensible exclamations, gesture, and vulgarity would in a way function to overwhelm the audience and bring them into a state of trance, where they would be more open to and understanding of their subconscious response to the production. Artaud stressed the necessity of a departure from written language – a need to divorce theatre from the text. What could provide more value, he writes, is a “language halfway between gesture and thought” (Artaud, 2010). This is where the relationship between Artaud and the Surrealists starts to become more apparent. One of the overlaps in the theory of the two was their common interest in the function of thought. Artaud wanted the content of his art to

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