Download Realism Theatre

Realism Theatre
19th Century
(1870 – 1960)
What is it?
Theatrical realism was a general movement in
19th-century theatre from the time period of
1870-1960 that developed a set of dramatic and
theatrical conventions with the aim of bringing
a greater fidelity of real life to texts and
performances.
Conventions of Realism
• Characters are believable every day types
• Dialogue is not heightened
• Plots involve characters rising up against the
odds to assert themselves against some
injustice (Nora in A Dolls House)
• Drama is psychologically driven – characters
internal motives and reactions
Stage Craft Conventions
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Costumes are authentic – not symbolic
Settings took place indoors
“Box Set” staging – one room in the house
The “forth wall”
Image from:
http://www.albany.edu/~rlipera/sho
w/show2.html (Lincoln Production
of A Dolls House)
Other Important Information
• Realism has influenced modern film and TV
• Plays could take place over a longer period of
time than the length of the play
• Naturalism and Non-Naturalism is a reaction
to Realism Theatre
Notable People
• Konstantin Stanislavski: 1863 – 1938, Russia
– “Stanislavski Techniques”
– Believable emotional acting from performers
– “Emotional Recall”
– Popular in the USA, triggered “Method Acting”
• Henrik Ibsen: 1828 – 1906, Norway
– Father of Modern Realism
– Playwright: A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabler
A Doll’s House
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Written by Ibsen
Premiered in Denmark, 1879
Great controversy
“A woman cannot be herself in
modern society," since it is "an
exclusively male society, with
laws made by men and with
prosecutors and judges who
assess feminine conduct from a
masculine standpoint.”
(Ibsen, "Notes for a Modern Tragedy"; quoted by Meyer
(1967, 466); see also Innes (2000, 79–81).