Modern theatre
Traditional drama was unceremoniously rejected at the naturalist Théâtre Libre, whose founder, André Antoine, wanted to recreate an unvarnished reality for his audiences.
The plays staged there presented the shadow side of the fin-de-siècle, with themes like poverty, prostitution and alcoholism. The performance style was similarly modern, with live chickens and cows, for instance, hoisted onto the stage to create a realistic experience of rural life.
Henri Gabriel Ibels, Theatre programme for Le devoir by Louis Bruyerre (Théâtre Libre, 15 February 1893), 1893
Symbolist theatre
A second movement arose in modern drama as a reaction against the naturalist Théâtre Libre: the latter’s Symbolist counterpart, the Théâtre de l’Oeuvre, aimed to evoke dreams, emotions or ideas, without presenting them visually in too literal a manner. The aim was to create a sense of mysticism on stage by performing behind a semi-transparent screen or mumbling the words inaudibly.
Edvard Munch, Theatre programme for Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen (Théâtre de l'Oeuvre, 12 November 1896), 1896
Further reading
- Gabriel P. Weisberg, Illusions of Reality: Naturalist Painting, Photography, Theatre and Cinema, 1875-1918, Amsterdam 2010
- Patricia Eckert Boyer, Artists and the Avant-Garde Theater in Paris 1887-1900, Washington 1998
- Geneviève Aitken, Artistes et Théâtres d’Avant-Garde. Programmes de théâtre illustrés. Paris 1890-1900, Paris 1991