Monday, April 14, 2014

Retrospective Project II Sexuality and Rebellion...Welcome to Theatre of Cruelty

     

Leather, chains,handcuffs, ball gags, nudity, hot wax and zippers. If you do not think any of that is considered sexual or rebellious then you could have a problem, but if you do.Well let me introduce you to my proposal. I propose that Cornish celebrate its inner dark side, with a Theater of Cruelty one-act play festival preformed at different locations across the campus, allowing the performers to experiment with what is around them.
What is Theater of Cruelty well it all started when Antonin Artaud wanted to “abolish the stage and auditorium,” and to do away with sets and props. He envisioned the performance space as an empty room with the audience seated in the center and the actors performing all around them. The stage effects included overwhelming sounds and bright lights in order to stun the audience's sensibilities and completely immerse them in the theatrical experience. In his lifetime, Artaud only produced one play that put the theories of the Theater of Cruelty into practice. The play Les Censi was neither a commercial or critical success and ran for only 17 performances. Artaud, however, believed that, while he was forced to limit the scope of his vision due to financial constraints, Les Censi succeeded in exemplifying the tenants of the Theater of Cruelty.

 



 

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