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Major addition of modern theater as a stage medium
The traditional stage is far less well attended than it once was. It, too, has reverted to its perhaps original form, and often is a venue for experiments in forms of acting that severely test a viewer's capacity for ''suspension of disbelief'', a conscious act often critical to a viewer's appreciation of theater in any medium.
The traditional stage is far less well attended than it once was. It, too, has reverted to its perhaps original form, and often is a venue for experiments in forms of acting that severely test a viewer's capacity for ''suspension of disbelief'', a conscious act often critical to a viewer's appreciation of theater in any medium.
=='''Post-War Theater Continuation'''==
While there was a physical decline in theater attendance, theater as an art form experienced rebirth. As a counter to naturalism and realism of the early 20th century, war time and post war practitioners focused on the 'theatricalization' of the stage. This can primarily be attributed to the work of [[Bertolt Brecht]] and his [[Epic Theater]], which attempted to defamiliarise the audience by removing habitual illusionary techniques. Audiences would be able to see the theater at work, with no attempt being made to hide the elements of production. It was also part of Brecht’s vision that, in following the path of his ‘enlightened’ predecessors Diderot and Lessing, the theater should be ‘a place of entertainment and instruction’. <ref> Brecht, Bertolt (1940), ‘On Experimental Theatre’, pp. 130-135
</ref> Brecht’s theater attempted to find a position between entertainment through suspension of disbelief, and encouraging thought through alienating his audience from being swept up in their emotions.
[[Naturalism]] still had a place in the western theatrical canon, with American playwrights such as [[Eugene O’Neill]], [[Arthur Miller]], and [[Tennessee Williams]] writing realistic scripts throughout the 1950’s, and for the latter two, beyond. Many of the plays released during this period have become American classics, including ''[[Long Day’s Journey Into The Night]]'', ''[[Death of a Salesman]'', and ''[[A Streetcar Named Desire]]'' respectively.
Drawing upon the surrealist movement, the ‘theatricalization’ of the stage by Brecht, and the rejection of naturalism, the absurdist school of thought became an important part of modern theater. In the [[Theater of the Absurd]], the most well know play is Samuel Beckett’s ''Waiting For Godot''. As evidenced by Godot, plots in absurdist theater are often circular, with inane dialogue. The lives of the characters (often atheist) are usually portrayed as meaningless, often because they cannot find or understand God. <ref> Fortier, Mark (2002), ‘Theory/Theater: An Introduction’, 2nd Ed, Routledge, Oxon.</ref>The influence of Beckett, and indeed the entire school of though can be seen in the works of contemporary practitioners David Mamet and Suzan-Lori Parks.
Inspired by the works of Brecht, and performance art, [[post-dramatic theater]] emerged in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Post-dramatic theater does not usually focus on a script or characterization, instead opting to focus on the aesthetics of a performance, and the interaction between text, performer and space. <ref> Fischer-Lichte, Erika (2002), History of European Drama and Theatre, Routledge, London. </ref>Post-dramatic theater can be seen as reintroducing the spectacle back into theater. As with most avant-garde work, it tends to have a liberal bias, and often focus on immoral themes such as abortion (as seen in the works of Heiner Muller) or drug use (as seen in the works of the Wooster Group).
== American playwrights ==
== American playwrights ==