What Is Postmodern Theatre?

The term postmodern usually refers to the era of the late 20th century and early 21st

century. Therefore, postmodern drama refers to plays written and produced during this era.

Postmodern drama often breaks with traditional norms in drama, such as presenting events

in a linear fashion. Postmodern theatre is a vibrant, boundary-pushing art form that defies

traditional narrative structures, blending various styles and media to challenge audiences'

perceptions. It often breaks the "fourth wall," encouraging viewers to question reality and

their role as spectators.

 Popular in the 20th century in Europe

 During this time period there was a lot of violence.

 This caused the theatre to respond with drama filled with violence. Also abandoning

modernism.

 People were getting more interested in movies and films, so they looked for new ways to

engage with society.

Other Differences

 Postmodern Theatre rejects chronological linearity.

 Postmodern Theatre contains critique, parody, and deconstruction. It lacks social

optimism.

 May have surprises, randomness, and fragments. (No play is perfect.)

their understanding.

Performers, Visual Elements

 Postmodernism sometimes uses costumes and masks as symbols.

 Postmodern theatre uses dark lighting for violence and social conflict scenes.

 The performers usually contrast with each other coming from a central idea, traditional

character, or theme.

 The audience participates with the actors creating a theatre experience together.

 Postmodern performers can be realistic actors. They take real life experiences from

culture, history, and social issues.

 They can also be exaggerated actors with masks and costumes as symbolism.

Human Subject Matter

 Plays that were normally performed were everyday life (citizens tell a story from their

life, mostly tragedies and conflicts).

 Classical plays with modern interpretation were also a big hit.

 Inspiration for the plays were History, culture, and social issues.

Playing Space, London Theaters, Outside performance

history to help the audience get a greater understanding of that time in history.

 Smaller theaters would sometimes perform outside.

Postmodern theatre, like other postmodern art forms, discards many of the ideas of modernism.

Theories of modern theatre propose that access to universal truths can be achieved through

artistic representation of life. Postmodern theatre, however, rejects the notion of make-

believe and instead sees theatrical performance as a real life event or happening in which

the audience participates. Devices like standard plots and character development are

minimized. This type of theatre embraces human experience in various forms and takes its

inspiration from history, culture, and social issues. David Hare’s Stuff Happens is a good

example of these ideas.

To some degree, modern theatre is based on concepts developed by Aristotle, who proposed

that drama could reveal universal truths. Theories about modern theatre suggest that access to

universal truths can be achieved through formal devices like plot, cause and effect, and

character development. In postmodern theatre, however, there are many possible truths,

depending on the point of view. Playwrights, actors, and audience members all lend their

perspectives to the creative process.

Postmodern theatre forces the audience to reevaluate the boundaries between art and reality,

and it discards the idea of theatre as a representation of life. Plays are intended to be events,

as much a part of life, as any other event. The outcome of a play might change from
performance to performance. For those who are accustomed to the neat development of plots

and characters in drama, this can be an unsettling experience.

An audience is something that performers act upon according to theories of modern theatre. In

postmodern theatre, the audience members are participants, often with actors and the

audience interacting and creating the theatre experience together. In addition, postmodern

theatre recognizes that every individual experiences theatre through the filter of his or her

unique feelings and life experiences, so arrival at a single universal truth is pretty difficult.

Postmodern theatre embraces ideas from culture, society, and history. David Hare’s Stuff

Happens, which is about the war in Iraq, illustrates these principles. Stuff Happens premiered in

1 September 2004 at the National Theatre in London. The play, which Hare calls a history play,

is a documentary-like production with the main characters being George Bush, Donald

Rumsfeld, Colin Powell and Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister, among others. While much

of the play is based on Hare’s imagination, he also uses some real media comments and

speeches as part of the dialogue for the play.

Important figures
Heiner Müller, 1929-1995
He was born in Dresden, which later became part of Eastern Germany after WWII. He wrote
about 30 plays. He died in a hospital in Berlin, he lived in eastern Berlin for years before his
death.
Caryl Churchill
She was born in London in 1938. She received three Obie awards and a Society of the West
End Theatre award; She received these by her role in theatre ever since she was sixteen years
old.
Sarah Kane, 1971-1999
She was born in 1971, and she was a British playwright. She struggled with intense manic
depression which was reflected in her plays. She died in 1999 by suicide.