Product Description

The definitive guide to the life and work of Antonin Artaud Antonin Artaud's theatre of cruelty is one of the most vital forces in world theatre, yet the concept is one of the most frequently misunderstood. In this incisive study, Albert Bermel looks closely at Artaud's work as a playwright, director, actor, designer, producer and critic, and provides a fresh insight into his ideas, innovations and, above all, his writings. Tracing the theatre of cruelty's origins in earlier dramatic conventions, tribal rituals of cleansing, transfiguration and exaltation, and in related arts such as film and dance, Bermel examines each of Artaud's six plays for form and meaning, as well as surveying the application of Artaud's theories and techniques to the international theatre of recent years.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #221925 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Customer Reviews

An incisive summary of the work of the theatrical innovator
Like Brecht, Artaud has become a totemic influence in modern experimental theatre. Both wanted to provoke the audience, but where Brecht wanted to alienate Artaud wanted to absorb, shock, overwhelm, and purge. Artaud felt that theatre had a necessary spiritual duty to perform, likening it to a 'plague,' a 'beneficent punishment';'cleansing, transfigur[ing], exalt[ing].' In practice the results were patchy , but his ideas have become immensely influential. In this excellent introduction Bermel explores Artaud's achievements, from his six surviving plays, to his role as producer, as well as sketching out his background and influences. He concludes by surveying Artaud's legacy and, though his plays may not been in every provincial repertoire, all of today's theatre goers will have experienced some aspect of Artaudian theatre, from the reinvention of past classics to the breaking down of the barriers between actors and audience. So be thankful for this maverick pioneer: theatre would be a duller place without him.