The Age of Realism

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The Age of Realism

• 19th century

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2 Factors affecting the Age of Realism

• Charles Darwins Theory of Evolution
• Man started questioning God
• Americas emergence as a credible country
• The common man became more interesting

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Playwrights

• Henrik Ibsen (Norway) Father of Realism
• Harsh controversial plays dealing with social
  injustices
• Works The Pillars of Society, A Dolls House,
  Enemy of The People

4
Playwrights (cont)

• Anton Chekov (Russia)
• Works The Seagull, Uncle Vanya

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Playwrights (cont)

• George Bernard Shaw (England)
• Wrote more than 60 plays
• Works Pygmalion, Saint Joan

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The role of the director began to emergeUp to
this point actors directed themselves!
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Directors

• Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (Germany)
• Abolished the Star System and helped their
  actors learn to work as an ensemble
• Constantin Stanislaviski (Russia)
• Established the Moscow Art Theater
• Possibly the most important director ever
• Developed The Method
• Feeling the character, reacting to others

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Non-Realism

• 19th century

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2 basic types of Non-realistic theater

• Theater of Symbolism
• Used music and art to show meaning emotion
  through non-realistic, symbolistic plays
• Theater of the Absurd
• Tried to find meaning in a world that, to them,
  had no meaning
• Life was useless and absurd
• Samuel Beckett was a notable absurdist playwright