185 terms

Adolphe Appia: A Swiss architect and theorist of stage lighting and décor, known for his work on modern stage design and lighting techniques.

Antiquarianism: A focus on the study and collection of antiquities or things of the past, often emphasizing historical accuracy in theatre productions.

Anton Chekhov: A Russian playwright and short-story writer known for his plays like "The Seagull," "Uncle Vanya," "Three Sisters," and "The Cherry Orchard," which are characterized by their exploration of complex characters and subtle plot developments.

Art for Art’s Sake: A philosophy that the intrinsic value of art is independent of its moral, social, or political utility, emphasizing aesthetic value over practical function.

Aurelien Lugne-Poe: A French actor, theatre director, and producer known for founding the Théâtre de l'Œuvre in Paris, promoting Symbolist theatre and avant-garde works.

Bayreuth: A town in Germany famous for the Bayreuth Festival, an annual music festival dedicated to the performance of operas by Richard Wagner.

Berliner Ensemble: A German theatre company established by Bertolt Brecht and his wife Helene Weigel in East Berlin, known for its productions of Brecht’s plays.

Bertolt Brecht: A German playwright, poet, and theatre director known for developing the concept of "Epic Theatre" and the "Verfremdungseffekt" (alienation effect).

Biomechanics: A system of actor training developed by Russian director Vsevolod Meyerhold, focusing on physical movement and expressive gestures to convey emotion and narrative.

Box Set: A type of stage design that creates the illusion of a real room with three walls and a ceiling, often used in realistic theatre.

Bruitisme/Art of Noise: An art movement that incorporates the use of noise and unconventional sounds in music and performance, associated with Futurism.

Charles Kean: An English actor-manager known for his Shakespearean productions and for emphasizing historical accuracy in his staging.

Constructivism: An artistic and architectural philosophy originating in Russia, characterized by abstract, geometric forms and a focus on functional design, influential in avant-garde theatre.

Dada: An avant-garde art movement of the early 20th century that rejected traditional aesthetics and embraced chaos, absurdity, and irrationality.

Ecstatic acting: A highly emotional and intense style of acting that seeks to convey deep, often transcendental, feelings.

Edward Gordon Craig: An English modernist theatre practitioner known for his innovative ideas on stage design and his concept of the "Übermarionette" (super-puppet).

Emile Zola: A French novelist and playwright, a major figure in the literary school of naturalism, emphasizing the influence of environment and heredity on human behavior.

Epic Theatre: A theatrical movement associated with Bertolt Brecht, aiming to provoke rational thought and social change rather than emotional involvement, often using techniques like narration and direct address.

Erwin Piscator: A German theatre director and producer known for his contributions to Epic Theatre and his use of multimedia in productions.

Eugene O’Neill: An American playwright known for his powerful and often tragic dramas, including "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and "The Iceman Cometh."

Expressionism: An artistic movement emphasizing the representation of emotional experience rather than physical reality, often through distorted and exaggerated imagery.

Futurism: An avant-garde movement that originated in Italy, emphasizing speed, technology, and modernity, and rejecting traditional forms and values.

Georg Lukacs: A Hungarian Marxist philosopher and literary critic known for his theories on realism and the social function of literature.

Gesamtkunstwerk: A German term meaning "total work of art," used by Richard Wagner to describe a synthesis of various art forms into a single cohesive whole.

Heredity vs. Environment: A theme in naturalist literature and drama that explores the relative influence of genetics (heredity) and surroundings (environment) on human behavior.

High Modernism: A style of modernist art and literature characterized by a strong emphasis on form, technique, and the autonomy of the work of art.

Historical Avant Garde: Early 20th-century movements that sought to break away from traditional artistic forms and conventions, often with a focus on political and social change.

Industrial Revolution: A period of major industrialization and technological advancement during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that had profound effects on society and culture, including theatre.

Konstantin Stanislavski: A Russian theatre practitioner known for developing the "Stanislavski System" or "Method Acting," which emphasizes psychological realism and emotional truth in performance.

Marcel Duchamp: A French-American artist associated with Dada and Surrealism, known for his readymades and his influence on conceptual art.

Medievalism/Utopianism: A fascination with medieval culture and ideals, often coupled with a vision of a perfect society (utopianism).

Noble Savage: A literary concept that idealizes indigenous people as living in a pure, natural state, uncorrupted by civilization.

Primitivism: An art movement that borrows visual forms from non-Western or prehistoric peoples, often idealizing them as more authentic or pure.

Realism: A literary and artistic movement that aims to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding speculative fiction and supernatural elements.

Reification: A concept in Marxist theory where social relations are perceived as characteristics of things rather than relationships between people, leading to a distorted understanding of social reality.

Richard Wagner: A 19th-century German composer known for his operas, particularly the "Ring Cycle," and for his influence on the development of classical music.

Romanticism: An artistic, literary, and intellectual movement from the late 18th century that emphasized emotion, individualism, and the glorification of nature and the past.

Russian Revolution: A period of political and social revolution in Russia that led to the overthrow of the Tsarist autocracy and the rise of the Soviet Union, particularly marked by the 1917 October Revolution.

Socialist Realism: A state-sponsored artistic style in the Soviet Union that aimed to promote socialism by depicting communist values, often idealizing the working class and their struggles.

Sublime: A concept in aesthetics that refers to an overwhelming sense of awe or beauty, often linked to vastness, grandeur, or the power of nature.

Symbolism: A late 19th-century art and literary movement that used symbolic images and indirect suggestion to express mystical ideas, emotions, and states of mind.

Tableaux Vivant: A static scene containing one or more actors or models, carefully posed and often theatrically lit, to create a "living picture."

Theatre de l’Oeuvre: A French avant-garde theater founded in 1893 by Lugné-Poe, known for its productions of Symbolist plays and its influence on modern theater.

The Bancrofts: A husband-and-wife team, Squire and Marie Bancroft, who were influential English theater managers and actors in the late 19th century, known for their realistic productions.

Tractor Art: Art that glorifies industrial and agricultural machinery, often associated with Soviet propaganda to promote the achievements of socialism.

Verfremdungseffekt: Also known as the "alienation effect," a technique used in theater, especially by Bertolt Brecht, to prevent the audience from losing itself passively in the narrative, instead making it a critical observer.

Vichy Government: The regime established in Vichy, France, during World War II, which collaborated with Nazi Germany from 1940 to 1944.

Weimar Republic: The democratic government of Germany from 1919 to 1933, established after World War I and ending with the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.