Postmodern theatre is a recent phenomenon in world theatre, coming as it does out of the

postmodern philosophy Postmodern philosophy is a philosophy, philosophical movement that arose in the second half of the 20th century as a critical response to assumptions allegedly present in Modernism#Origins, modernist philosophical ideas regarding culture, identit ...

that originated in Europe in the middle of the twentieth century. Postmodern theatre emerged as a reaction against modernist theatre. Most postmodern productions are centered on highlighting the fallibility of definite truth, instead encouraging the audience to reach their own individual understanding. Essentially, thus, postmodern theatre raises questions rather than attempting to supply answers.

Postmodern techniques

A postmodern theatrical production might make use of some or all of the following techniques: # The accepted norms of seeing and representing the world are challenged and disregarded, while experimental theatrical perceptions and representations are created. # A

pastiche A pastiche () is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking ...

of different textualities and

media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...

forms are used, including the simultaneous use of multiple

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

or media forms, and there is the 'theft' of a heterogeneous group of artistic forms. # The narrative needs not be complete but can be broken,

paradox A paradox is a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one's expectation. It is a statement that, despite apparently valid reasoning from true or apparently true premises, leads to a seemingly self-contradictor ...

ical and imagistic. There is a movement away from linearity to multiplicity (to inter-related webs of stories), where acts and scenes give way to a series of peripatetic dramatic moments. # Characters are fragmented, forming a collection of contrasting and parallel shards stemming from a central idea, theme or traditional character. # Each new performance of a theatrical pieces is a new

Gestalt Gestalt may refer to: Psychology * Gestalt psychology, a school of psychology * Gestalt therapy Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes Responsibility assumption, personal responsibility and focuses on the individual's exp ...

, a unique spectacle, with no intent on methodically repeating a play. # The audience is integral to the shared

meaning-making In psychology, meaning-making is the process of how people (and other living beings) Construals, construe, Understanding, understand, or make sense of life events, relationships, and the self. The term is widely used in Constructivism (psychologi ...

of the performance process and its members are included in the dialogue of the play. # There is a rejection of the notions of "High" and "Low" art. The production exists only in the viewer's mind as what the viewer interprets – nothing more and nothing less. # The rehearsal process in a theatrical production is driven more by shared meaning-making and improvisation, rather than the scripted text. # The play steps back from reality to create its own self-conscious atmosphere. This is sometimes referred to as

metatheatre Metatheatre, and the closely related term metadrama, describes the aspects of a play that draw attention to its nature as drama or theatre, or to the circumstances of its performance. "Breaking the Fourth Wall" is an example of a metatheatrical de ...

. While these techniques are often found in postmodern productions they are never part of a centralised movement or style. Rather, they are tools for authentic introspection, questioning and representation of human experience.

Notable examples of postmodern theatre

* Griselda Gambaro's '' Information For Foreigners'' * Ozono Production's '' Fuerzabruta'' * Heiner Müller's '' Hamletmachine'' * Magda Romanska's " Opheliamachine" * Dimitris Lyacos's ''

With the People from the Bridge ''With the People from the Bridge'' (Greek: ''Με τους ανθρώπους από τη γέφυρα'') is the second part of the ''Poena Damni'' trilogy by Greek author Dimitris Lyacos. The book deals with the theme of loss and the return of ...

'' * Reza Abdoh's " Quotations from a Ruined City" *

Dummies Theatre Dummies Theatre was a Canadian Experimental theatre, experimental and interdisciplinary contemporary theatre company known for creating free Site-specific theatre, site-specific works and daring productions in vacant stores located in Montreal du ...

Peter Handke Peter Handke (; born 6 December 1942) is an Austrians, Austrian novelist, playwright, translator, poet, film director, and screenwriter. He was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature "for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has ...

, ''Sprechstück'' (1966)

References

External links

* Forced Entertainment http://www.forcedentertainment.com * Fuerza Bruta http://www.fuerzabruta.net/ * Reckless Sleepers http://www.reckless-sleepers.eu {{Modern drama *

Theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

Contemporary art Theatrical genres

Postmodern techniques

Notable examples of postmodern theatre

See also

References

External links