Nineteenth century theatre
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Nineteenth century theatre is theatre of the 19th century. It was marked by the introduction of realism.
The Era of Realism
Realism began around 1850 as the Romanticism was ending around 1870, and gave way to the Isms of the 20th Century Theater. The theme of Realism in theater was likeness to life and this movement sought to create theater that was a laboratory for the nature of relationships. The goal of a realism-era play was to set forth a functional or dysfunctional situation in an objective manner to an impartial audience. The audience is meant to view the characters as a visitor observes animals in a zoo. Henrik Ibsen is considered to be the father of Realism in theater.Typically, the environment on-stage, the dress code and the language, could easily have been as in any single member of the audience's own home. As it is perfectly ordinary to view contemporary criticism on television and in films today, it is difficult for us now to understand what impact this had on the audience at that time.
Maxims of Realism Theater
- Always credulous, nothing to test believability in audience
- Audience is never acknowledged
- Dialogue only, no asides, soliloquys or monologues (except when addressed to another onstage character)
- An individual represents a societal problem
- Fourth wall removed convention is strictly followed
- A linear plot with no sub-plots
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