Essays on Theatre

Vsevolod Emielevich Meyerhold, considered one of 20th century greatest theatrical innovators, was born on February 10, 1874 in the Russian town of Penza. He was originally born into a Lutheran German-Jewish family with the name Karl Theodore Kasmir Meyergold. In 1895 he took the name Vsevolod Emievich Meyerhold after converting to the Russian Orthourdox Church….

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

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 is a form of documentary theatre, it empowers marginalised groups and communities by staging their stories, enabling them to make their experiences visible whether it be local or global. Verbatim theatre explores a range of perspectives, and a variety of truths by scripting real life interviews of people from a story or incident…

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…

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…

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…