CHAPTER Artaud: Theatre of Cruelty© See pee was able to raise the money fora play which he wrote and directed and in which he acted the leading role. The play was a critical and financial failure, The rest of Araud's Ife was spent lagely in poverty and espa, marked by long periods of insanity A failed life. Yes his legacy changed the worl of theatre, an left us with ways of steing, and communicating. which enlarge out under standing of ourselves and others, THE THEATRE OF CRUELTY Artaud saw the world he lived in as one in desperate nesd of change, 2 world of people all mad, desperate and ick tis important to remember that Actus perception ofthe world was ‘not uncommon in Europe in the 1930s. His generation had. lived through the First World Wa, “the war to end al war, in which 10 million people had died. They had experienced the Great Depression, Wwhen the economies of the world’s richest nations had suddenly Alsintegrated in 1929, leaving tens of millions of people unemployed, homeless and hopeless. Worst ofall had been the sine xo power of rhe less dcttors—Mussolin, Stalin, Hider, Francowho threatened to estoy human liberty and world peace Artaud’s view ofthe world as being fll of is, simlessness, meanness 'and hypocrisy closely echocs the philosophy of existentialism. ‘Tht Dilosophy was based on the writings of the Frenchman Jean-Paul Sante wlio wrote plays himsell Saree believed that human hie is absolutely meaningless and poindlss. He torlly denied the existence of any God, any reason for lving, sty picterm to human hie, We ae born With nothing, aid return to nothing. Sartre argued that human beings ‘must face up t0 the pointless absurdity of their lives, and then they wl be fee to take actions and make decisions which eels the terrible reality of exstenc, : Whalst Agaud shared this pessimistic view of the world he believed "bat it was posible to change that world through his eae He saw a dest connection between the theste and life. He thought ‘of them as mitros, ot “double each refering the othe. IP evilisation was sick, then so was the theatre that reflected! it, Both must change, and Arud belived that ifthe world of theatre could be transformed by him, then the outside Warld which he found so desperate would be akered 4s wel, changed by the Thaate of Crile. —— prasn: remauts on communtcars cM@Resns —— ARTAUD’S TECHNIQUES Visual Poctry When Artaud watched the Balinese dancers in 1951, he saw performers sing movement, gestures and dance instead of words 1o pomamunics with their audience. Combined with music and diferent sound elec, this stylised movement, which Artaud called visual poetry. had an enor mous emotional impact. It communicated feelings abowe the pret hhuman mysteries of czaton, growth and death in ways words could not. This does not mean Artaud wanted to eliminate words skogethet, Duce insisted that they should only be used when they were totally necessary and important Workshop ‘Working in small groups, create a pice of mime, movement or dance which is designed to convey a single strong emotion such 4 love, hate, fea, joy, et just through stylised movement Assaulting the Senses ‘Artaud argued that the great mass of people had been brutalised and Aesenstised by the world they inhabited. There was. no. point in appealing so she understanding or intelligence. So he wanted the ‘Theatre of Cruchy to hypmotse them as a snake-charmer hypnouses snake, putting them into.a tance in which they could be shocked ato confronting themselves, their Way of fe, and the meaning anc mystery ofall existence To do this, Antaud planned ‘an assault on the senses using lights, ‘music and sound, inthe way modem rock concerts do. He believed that ‘he theatre should have all the expensive equipment that film-makers tse, and should ase st just as skull Workshop Using musi, sounds, voice but very few words), extreme physical movement and light if availabe, create improvisations. which convey the emotion associated avith a state of being, for example, blindness, loneliness, death eriomph, powerSS sernv0: tHearne oF crveery Creating a Dream World ‘Through the ose of masks, ritual objects, and traditional and striking serenity, Artaud hoped to remove his auience fom their everyday SREUhd preoccupations. He wanted no scenery in his theate, jurt Seinbote objec, sometimes strangely distorted into nightmare shapes, Combined with the use of movement, lights and music, these things Svould afece the audience the way dreams do, working directly on the motions and the unconscious mind, ‘Workshop Using neural masks, symbolic costume (such as white clot for birch or purity. black cloth for death, and the other techniques already explored, create a. dream or nightmare with 2 strong motional coment. The improvisations must be 35 unreal, and frcambke, 35 posible Involving the Audience Inthe theatre, Artaud imagined, dhe audience would be seated in the tre of he stdtorium, and she action of the play would take place around them, and even asongst them. lasted of being spectators, the audience would be made to fel part of everything that happened Workshop ‘Work in pats. Each par works outa short improvisation involving 2 strong emotion, The majoe aim of the improvisation sto involve fn audience ditecly, in both the action and the emotion of the improvisation, so You can use an improvisition from a previous freteise as 9 ststing point. For example, using blindness and the motional sense of insecurity ereaes, you might both improve being blind and going to the audience for help, chen you sight Vindfold the audience and make them move around, unable 0 56 fo that they experience the sense of deprivation for themselves, ‘Once you have eteited your improvisations, join with other pais to make groups of four, and take i in urns Yo be performers an adience ‘The Skill of the Actor ‘Artaud insisted that actors should be highly waned, able to wse thee Gio and bodies wth grest abil Most of all, they must be cotlly SGmmied co theie work, ro thatthe intensity oftheir emotions is felt Ey ithe audience, ‘This i similar to the total involvement Grotowski ‘munded of his actors. Artaud believed that actors should be emotion- Aly involved in their work and convinced of the trth of i | Workshop {th pars, work to esate a short improvisation based on a personal “xpetence with strong enotional content. You must use Seanis- ivsk's and Grotowshis techniques for achieving total commit fit @ the improvisston, 2s well Theat of Cruelty Eunigues, Join your pais i» groupe of four, and actin Corn as performers and audience. Deliberate Cruelty ‘When he used the word cruel, Artaud meant it, Not physical cruelty, which draws blood, but an attack on the emotions designed co shock the audience and totaly involve them in the drama. To do this, he Suggested the use of violent, terrifying and shocking actions and images designed to ‘pulverse’ the audience's feelings. This very important (0 note chat Avaud did not intené 10 ute shocking actions or eflect purely for thir oven sake. He meant them to be used 26 all is techniques were 10 be used, 0 change the way people perceived their word Workshop ‘Working in groups, ceate an improvisation which makes use of violent, ternfying and shocking scons and images (0 create a strong emotional impact, oa 3 subject such as child abuse, per section or brutality [Remember The technique must be vsed with discrimination or it is counterproductive The improvisations most incorporate Arcaud’s other techniques aswell