Bibliography:BooksArtaud, A. 1958. The theater and its double. New York: Grove Press.Bermel, A. 2001. Artaud's theatre of cruelty. London: Methuen.OnlineAntonin Artaud. 2014. [pdf] http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/images/antonin_artaud_tcm4-123683.pdf [Accessed: 24 Mar 2014].Bolch, S. 2014. Antonin Artaud - Theatre of Cruelty. [online] Available at: http://quizlet.com/13274261/antonin-artaud-theatre-of-cruelty-flash-cards/ [Accessed: 26 Mar 2014].Cash, J. 2014. Theatre of Cruelty Conventions. [online] Available at: http://www.thedramateacher.com/theatre-of-cruelty-conventions/ [Accessed: 26 Mar 2014].Encyclopedia Britannica. 2014. Theatre of Cruelty (experimental theatre). [onli ...view middle of the document...
htm [Accessed: 24 Mar 2014].Ryan, S. and Ryan, D. 2014. Antonin Artaud. [online] Available at: http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/siryan/academy/theatres/artaud,%20antonin.htm [Accessed: 24 Mar 2014].Influences on Contemporary Theatre Practices:Antonin Artaud and the Theatre of CrueltyA revolution in theatre took place during the twentieth century because of the pioneering work of outstanding playwrights, directors and movements. A great impact on contemporary theatre in the twentieth-century was Antonin Artaud and the Theatre of Cruelty. Antonin Artaud introduced new theories and practises into the theatre world through the creation of Theatre of Cruelty. However, these new theories and practices weren't well accepted by society and were constantly rejected. It was not until Antonin Artaud's death, that his influence became significant; his ideas were viewed as provocative and insightful perspectives on the world of theatre.Theatre of Cruelty was a name given by Artaud to a style of theatre designed to unsettle the audience through the intensity of the performance. Theatre of Cruelty is a very avant-garde twentieth century theatre as it defied and strayed away from the conventions of Western theatre. Antonin Artaud believed that theatre was too dependent on scripts and relied too heavily on the written word and realism. A concept Artaud strongly believed in was that language is unique to the live performance; theatre should not be bound to texts and should be used to discover their own unique language. Theatre of Cruelty was a form of theatre that unleashed an unconscious, primitive response in the audience, which he believed was hidden beneath the civilised social facade that masked all human behaviour. Artaud wanted the theatre to be a place where the audience realised their worst nightmare and fears; a place where the rational interpretation of reality was rejected and the irrational impulses were welcomed.A major influence on Artaud and his creation of Theatre of Cruelty was Eastern forms; particularly Balinese theatre and Balinese dance performances. This impacted his practices and caused him to focus on embracing dance and gestures to be more primitive in theatre. He was also greatly influenced by surrealism and symbolism, which is shown through his theatre style, as he tried to appeal to the irrational mind and not be conditioned by society. However, due to political differences and involvement with communism Artaud abandoned the surrealist movement, this impacted his approach to theatre as he then decided to focus on it from a more mythical and ritualistic aspect. Artaud's aim was to create a theatre, which should not solve social and psychological conflicts like the contemporary theatre, but to express and cover the 'truth'. He strongly believed that the inner of the subconsciousness was more 'real' than anything external. It is these influences, which helped him develop his concept for 'cruelty':" Existence is evil;...
