Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43850 in Books
• Published on: 2000-08-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Customer Reviews

Messy, rambling pile of good ideas
Although true you will probably find this book largely incomprehensible to begin with, as a piece of philosophy of theatre it is actually really quite good. This is a book for enthusiasts, able readers and people who don't mind having to really think about what they are coming in contact with. Artuad's ideas are really quite 'lofty', if you know what i mean, and some have claimed they are impossible to put into practice (although I am not so sure). To really crack Artaud you need someone else to discuss it with and both of you need to have a sound point of reference; you need to know drama. If you do however, you'll find the discussions that revolve around this book throughly enjoyable and the ideas that it will bring about you should find actually pertinent to practical drama work.

Some sections are better than others, but i strongly recommend chapter 2 ('Metaphysics and the Mise En Scene") because its fantastic. I say this because during my A-level Drama course I found this section immensely important in my understanding of the subject and our group utilised several elements of the theory in our own production. As I understand it, in this chapter Artuad makes the argument that modern theatre is tyrannised by dialogue and the written word, at the expense of all the theatrics of the stage, which actually limits the potential emotional impact of the piece. For Artaud the stage is a concrete physical place which needs to be filled with its own concrete physical language, not simply that of words. Artaud seems to feel the purpose of theatre is to induce a massive emotional impact on the audience member which is their source of meaning, not prepared meaning in dialogue. This should give you an idea of the complexity, but at the same time quality, of Artauds ideas.

I give the book 4 stars because, although some might give it 5 for its great ideas, it is really quite unaccessible and some parts are arguably much less useful than others.

Good if you are interested in Artaud
As when I bought this book I was studying Artaud, I found it incredibly useful. It is an insight into Artaud's mind as he tends to write down exactly what he is thinking, although he often contradicts himself. It is also often amusing. I feel if you are studying Artaud, or putting on a production in Artaudian style this book is incredibly useful.

However I do not believe it would be as helpful if you are searching for tips about theatre in general as Artaud has a very unique style.

It is fascinating to see Artaud come up with ideas like street theatre without giving it a name that we now see as commonplace in main cities.

You need a reader
When I first read Artuad, I was completely confused. This book is written in metaphore and I strongly recommend that you buy a reader to guide you through. In particular, I recommend Lee Jamieson's book entitled:

Antonin Artaud: From Theory to Practice.

It really opens up new avenues in The theatre and its Double and is an indespensible companion. Alongside Lee Jamieson's book, Artaud will change your whole view of theatre!!!