THE RADICALS & AVANT-GARDE 1920–1970

Antonin Artaud enters the story of theatre like a jolt of electricity into a dead nerve. In the 1920s and 30s, this French poet-actor raged against “civilized” theatre, insisting that beneath society’s polite masks lay repressed instincts clawing to break free. He believed theatre’s true function was to “rid humankind of these repressions and liberate each individual’s instinctual energy.” For Artaud, Western theatre had become far too tame—too much talk and not enough raw feeling. So he imagined a Theatre of Cruelty, not to promote real violence, but to shock the senses and wake the soul.

In practice, Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty would assault the audience’s sensibilities. He would remove the stage barrier and surround spectators with sound, movement, light. He spoke of using “verbal incantatio ...