THEATRICALISM IN EUROPEAN AVANT-GARDE DRAMA, 1918-1939.
Item
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Title
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THEATRICALISM IN EUROPEAN AVANT-GARDE DRAMA, 1918-1939.
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Identifier
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AAI8508710
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identifier
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8508710
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Creator
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LERMAN, PHILIP.
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Contributor
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Daniel Gerould
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Date
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1985
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Theater
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Abstract
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This dissertation examines the variety and extent of theatricalism in avant-garde drama during the inter-war years. First the study establishes guidelines to determine what constitutes theatricalism in drama, and then it sets up distinct categories for classifying theatricalist elements in the plays selected as examples.;The opening chapter contains a brief history of theatricalism in drama before the first world war, and the five chapters that follow demonstrate the use of theatricalism by playwrights of the inter-war period. Chapter Two, "The Play Within a Play," shows how an actor, dramatist, or theatre audience can be incorporated into the dramatic structure of a play. Chapter Three, "The Self-Dramatizing Character," offers examples of how a character in a play constructs his own role and scenario. Chapter Four, "Borrowed Parts; Borrowed Styles," illustrates the theatricalism inherent in borrowing from other plays. Chapter Five, "Spectacles and Scenic Shows," explores the use of theatre space and scenic artifice as an aspect of dramatic action. Chapter Six, "Mining the Popular Entertainments," shows how playwrights draw upon the performance conventions of Grand Guignol, variety theatre, circus, carnival, movies, and radio broadcasting.;The seventh chapter discusses the importance of theatricalism to innovative drama after 1939, and in a brief concluding chapter the special appeal of theatricalism to playwrights is assessed.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Theatre
