Realism and Non-Realism in Theatre

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the birth, development, and evolution of Realism and Non-realism in theatre. As well as to discover, the writers and plays of the times, and their impact on theatre then and now.

Realism

In the late nineteenth century there came a rise in the working class. Middle-class workers, as well as women, gained power and began to have a larger voice in society. The middle-class started to get more political power, including starting a campaign to allow more people, including women, to be able to vote. Theatre had previously been mainly about the lives of the upper-class, and very rarely questioned problems in society or government. This was mainly because of the great control held over theatre by kings and government. Through this gained power and freedom, playwrights began to address topics that had previously been considered taboo to them. This was also the time of scientific and technological advances of Freud, Einstein, and Edison. Freud reflected on the inner-workings of the human mind, he analyzed dreams and psychological motivations. Realist playwrights used Freud's findings to create more in-depth, realistic characters than had previously been seen. Einstein's theory relativity brought about the questioning of the world around them of things that were originally thought to be fixed. All things moral and intellectual were questioned, including religion, the inner-workings of human beings, and the universe itself. Edison's electric light enabled more lighting options in theatres than had previously been available through the use of candles or gas lighting.

Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906)

Henrik Ibsen, a Norwegian playwright, is often called the "Father of Modern Drama" or the "Father of Realism". Ibsen began his career writing romantic dramas, but as society began to change, Ibsen saw a chance to write a different type of play. Ibsen was direct, honest, and unsparing in his writing. He found that he could write about subjects that were considered taboo in society, and would previously never have been discussed in public, much less on stage. This is not to say that Ibsen's plays were embraced by all. Many people objected to his subject matter, which included divorce, syphilis, and suicide, among many others. Ibsen's realistic plays followed the traditional realism format. In his stage directions, Ibsen gives very specific directions on how the set and costumes should look, which is very true to life. This brought about the popularity of the box set, which was necessary to create a realistic Norwegian room on the stage, with characters dressed to period. Later in Ibsen's career he began to stray from straight realism and ventured into symbolism, or selective realism.

Anton Chekov (1860-1904)

Anton Chekhov, considered one of Russia's greatest playwrights, was writing at the same time as Henrik Ibsen. Chekov focused on the problems of the family, especially that of a family falling apart, or going through major change. Like Ibsen, Chekov described the set and costumes in great detail. The realistic nature of Chekov's plays caused the development of a new style of acting. Much of the action in Chekov's plays comes from inaction. Stanislavski developed his method of acting in response

to directing Chekov at the Moscow Art Theater.

Non-realism

After a dramatic swing towards realism, playwrights began to experiment with many different types of theatre, dramatically different from realism. For a short while theatre took a swing almost entirely towards realism. When something goes so far to one side, the only