Artaud

Antonin Artaud

Artaud was a very controversial figure in the 20th century. He is not only an actor and a playwright but also a poet and theorist as well as much respected across the world. 

Some of Artaud's theories are as follows:

• his theatre set to awaken the dormant dream images of our mind
• Artaud attempted to appeal to the irrational mind, one not conditioned by society 
• Artaud’s theatre aimed to appeal to, and release the emotions of, the audience 
• by bombarding the audience’s senses, they underwent an emotional release (catharsis) 

Sadly, the French mastermind known as Antonin Artaud(1896-1948) was not always a lucid one. The man who coined the term ‘theatre of cruelty’ spent a significant portion of his later life in asylums, and when on the outside, addicted to opium. 

Artaud experimented with the relationship between performer and audience, preferring to place spectators at the very centre of a performance surrounding them. His intention was to trap the audience inside the drama.