• the 19th century began a period characterized by naturalism and realism.
• playwrights such as Ibsen, Chekhov, Shaw, and Strindberg led the way in this new type of theatre which reflected a language and style more natural to real life - excess and melodrama play lesser role.
• actors began to use the "fourth wall", imagining a wall where the audience sits, keeping the belief entirely in the scene and not speaking to the audience.
• Stanislavski (see Unit 3, Acting Technique for more information) developed Method Acting for the new theatre. The "Method" requires actors to approach their work from a personal response, identifying the psychological and emotional life of a character.
• Playwrights were concerned with social and economical problems of the day - rather than provide an escape, theatre engaged in discussion and illumination.
• Playwrights gave: characters specific stage directions; characters are individuals - not stereotypes, heroes and heroines; detail to physical appearance of character.
• Theatre repertoire also expanded to include burlesque, music halls and lyric opera. The Industrial Revolution brought more people into the city and there was a call for more popular "vulgar" entertainment.
• in the early part of the 20th century, an artistic revolt begins against the commercial stage. Similarly, artists, musicians and dancers are experimenting further with the concept of art.
• two directions were: 1) increasingly graphic and more sophisticated forms of realism; and 2) move into symbolism and non-illusionistic forms of theatre. Both involve experimentation in aesthetic and technical aspects of the theatre.
• increasing use of experimental sound, lighting, costume and innovation in design of sets.
• theatre played many roles: sometimes meant to capture the inner landscape of the mind and the collective unconscious; or to move people to social action; or to re-examine older, alternative traditions in the East; to explore national identity; or to provide drama in education.
  

Activity 2 - Jigsaw Activity

You and your classmates form 6 home groups. The teacher should break you into expert groups. Each expert group must have at least one member from each of the home groups. Then your teacher will assign each expert group one playwright and his play (refer to the list below, or other plays available to you.)

Michelle Tremblay "For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again"	Oscar Wilde "The Importance of Being Earnest"
Samuel Beckett "Waiting for Godot"	Arthur Miller "The Death of a Salesman"
Connie Gault "Soft Eclipse" (Saskatchewan playwright)	Eugene Ionesco "The Bald Soprano"

• You should read the play with your expert group and discuss it. Set specific focus areas such as writing style, topic, theme, focus, contrast, symbol and set style.
  
• The groups must find out some information about the playwright by using an advanced search on-line (biographical, other plays of note, influence on theatre).
• As an expert group, you should decide how one scene in your play should be presented (set, lighting, music, costume).
• The expert groups break up, and the new experts join their home groups. Once in the home groups, you present the information you have learned to the group, and everyone writes it down. The information then becomes notes for a possible open-book test.
  

  ---

  Evaluation:
  The teacher may evaluate individual participation in jigsaw exercise and construct an open-book test on the lesson material.

  Next Lesson /Previous Lesson