Essays on Theatre

They say art imitates life.” What better example to prove this dictum right than ancient Indonesian dance rituals? These performances shed light on the statement effectively. Indonesian theatre has two predominant forms of theatrical performances: Wayang (Shadow puppet) and Topeng (Masked dance). This discussion will primarily highlight the differences between the two, whether sharp or…

To say that Verbatim Theatre is communal storytelling implies that it is the community telling stories. Such storytelling employed as a collective act allows for many benefits including the voicing of previously unheard stories from a variety of perspectives, feeding stories into the wider communities and allowing for action to be taken, and providing a…

Discuss the political and social context of the depiction of on-stage violence in both Classical Greek and Roman theatre. Please refer to at least one text studied. Is picturing a violent act, worse than actually witnessing it? In our modern society, we have become so accustomed to and sometimes enjoy watching violent acts play out…

Like Artaud, Berkoff is very much into stylising and surrealism, finding the dark side of things. He thinks ‘Realism’ can become deadening, Berkoff very much like Artaud wanted to break away from the norms of Western Theatre. Berkoff believed it was too much like films and soaps. Artaud was much the same he thought the…

Wicked Review On October 19th, the Broadway show Wicked returned to Nashville’s Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC). This musical was based on the book by Gregory Macguire with the same title. The music and lyrics were written by Stephen Schwartz and the play by Winnie Holzman. Wicked follows the story of the misunderstood Wicked Witch…

Verbatim theatre, also known as documentary theatre, gives power to marginalized groups and communities by bringing their stories to the stage, allowing them to share their experiences and make them visible on both local and global scales. This form of theatre delves into multiple perspectives and uncovers various truths by scripting real interviews with individuals…

The effects masks have on the wearer in both Rituals and Theatre with specific reference to Noh and Kyogen theatre.   INTRODUCTION:   The mask affects the wearer in both Noh Rituals and Theatre. Noh is an original and independent art form. And the word Noh has a strong meaning. Noh is an original and…

Brecht Vs. Stanislavski. To move away from naturalism Brecht methods differs from Stanislavski’s in many ways. In order to achieve a un-natiuralistic performance and create an audience that are critical on the play rather than be emotionally attached to the play. Some of these differences between the two practitioner’s methods that create these two opposite…

The realistic impulse, the desire to reproduce on stage a piece of life faithfully has been persistent over the last hundred years. However reaction against the theatre of psychological realism and of ordinary speech and behaviour was also relentless throughout the twentieth century. In order to explore any form theatre, it is important to understand…

Big feet, stampeding rhinoceroses, and barren sets are typical of the theatre of the absurd. The dramatic content, symbolism, and spectacles are amazing to see but impossible to comprehend. The philosophy of the absurd and the dawn of mankind influenced these plays in the twentieth century. The main proponents and works of the theatre of…