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Rethinking Artaud's Theoretical and Practical Works

Connick, Rob
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1300457063

Abstract Details

2011, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, Theatre and Film.
This study aims to counter the claims that Artaud was a practical failure and his theoretical writings had little value for theatre practice during his time. I instead argue that Artaud’s body of work shows his dedication to creating a theatre style that would differ drastically from the styles dominating French theatre. I use Artaud’s original texts to determine his Theatre of Cruelty aesthetics and to highlight how much of his work holds practical as well as theoretical value. By doing this, I argue that Artaud’s practical capabilities in theatre should be properly acknowledged and his theoretical contributions be viewed for their applicability to production. This study continues the work of Artaud scholars such as Kimberly Jannarone who have challenged previous portrayals of Artaud by earlier scholars as a failed theatre artist whose theoretical writings are more emblematic of his mental illness than of any practical sensibilities. This study addresses and challenges many of the widely held notions about Artaud concerning his practical works as well as his essays on the plague, cruelty, and non-Western ritual. I argue that while these writings may seem to be disconnected writings, they may be directly connected to practical theatrical concerns. To make these claims, I examine Artaud’s work at the Alfred Jarry Theatre to demonstrate the ways in which aspects of his developing theatre aesthetic are foreshadowed in his practical work while there. I then look at the ways that Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty manifestos can be seen at work in his production of Les Cenci, the only full-length play that he wrote. I connect his writings on “plague” and “cruelty” to established performance tropes and show how Artaud used both of these terms to describe the functionality of his new theatre. Finally, I compare the Balinese dance dramas Artaud witnessed at the 1931 Paris Colonial Exposition to his Manifestos on Cruelty to show how Artaud’s arguably unstageable theories had, as a matter of fact, been staged through these performances.
Scott Magelssen, PhD (Advisor)
Jonathan Chambers, PhD (Committee Member)
Bradford Clark, MFA (Committee Member)
Amy Morgan, PhD (Committee Member)
204 p.
Performing Arts; Theater; Theater History; Theater Studies
Antonin Artaud; Theatre of Cruelty; French Theatre; Alfred Jarry Theatre; The Cenci; 20th Century Theatre

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Connick, R. (2011). Rethinking Artaud's Theoretical and Practical Works [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1300457063

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Connick, Rob. Rethinking Artaud's Theoretical and Practical Works. 2011. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1300457063.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Connick, Rob. "Rethinking Artaud's Theoretical and Practical Works." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1300457063

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1300457063
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© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.