THEATRE

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THEATRE OF THE ABSURD
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The term (now genre)Theatre of the Absurd
was coined by critic Martin Esslin to bring
attention to a group of playwrights whose plays
conveyed a common sense of anxiety, confusion
and hopelessness in reaction to an
unexplainable, unpredictable and absurd
universe.
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Two major contributing factors to this genre were
the atrocities of World War II and the
philosophical questions regarding the meaning
of life raised by Existentialists.
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Within the word existentialism is the word exist.
We are thrown into existence without a choice.

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However, once we exist, we have the freedom to
choose how to exist. We have the freedom to
choose to create meaningful, valuable lives.
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With that freedom of choice,comes anxiety and
fear. Anxiety that we may make the
WRONGchoices! Fear that we may die before we
find meaningin our lives!
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Mere existence has no purpose. Despite the
fear and anxiety, we can choose our purpose and
define it. Ultimately, we decide if our lives
have value.
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Perhaps the best-know existentialist, Jean-Paul
Sartres works included essays, novels and plays
such as No Exit.
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Albert Camus, wrote The Myth of Sisyphus, among
other works with existential themes. Using the
Greek myth to show the futility of existence,
Sisyphus is eternally condemned to roll a rock up
a hill and every time he reaches the top, the
rock rolls back down and he has to start over.
Existence seems pointless, but perhaps Sisyphus
finds purpose and meaning in his eternal task by
never giving up and continuing to push the rock
up every time it rolls back down.
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The father of Theatre of the Absurd Samuel
Beckett wrote, among others,Waiting for Godot,
Happy Days, and Act Without Words, I
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Eugene Ionescos plays include The Leader , The
Rhinoceros, The Bald Soprano, Macbett, The
Killing Game, and The Chairs.
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Tom Stoppard wrote, among others, Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Real Thing,
Jumpers, and he co-wrote the screenplay for
Shakespeare in Love.
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Harold Pinters plays include The Room, The
Birthday Party, The Homecoming, and Betrayal.
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Edward Albees plays include The Zoo Story,
Sandbox, Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and
Seascape.
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Sam Shepards many plays include A Lie of the
Mind, Fool for Love and his Pulitzer Prize play
Buried Child.
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Sam Shepard is also a respected actor and
director. Hes acted in 39 films including Black
Hawk Down, The Right Stuff, Crimes of the Heart,
and Steel Magnolias.
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Thornton Wilder, known for writing Our Town also
wrote the absurdist play The Skin of Our
Teeth.
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Christopher Durangs many plays include Death
Comes to Us All, Mary Agnes, dentity Crisis,
The Actors Nightmare, Baby and the Bathwater,
and The Marriage of Bette and Boo.
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The plays of these and other Absurdist
playwrights have common themes including the
uselessness of human actions, the failure of
human communication, an illogical universe
(from fascist governments to dysfunctional
families), collective unconsciousness, menacing
forces, and feelings of alienation and
hopelessness.
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However most plays of this genre are considered
to be in the tradition of tragicomedy. We
laugh at and identify with many of the characters
struggling, as we do, to make sense of our
lives and the world.