Later this week, Arthall in Gozo is hosting a talk on modern theatre, by Stefan Aquilina, Associate Professor of Theatre Studies at the University of Malta. Using the rich photographic evidence of performances produced in France, Germany, Russia, and England at the turn of the twentieth-century he explored ways in which modern theatre broke with the conventional, becoming innovative, experimental, surprising and daring. Here he explains how and why it left a lasting legacy in contemporary theatre and performance:
Modern theatre was a highly experimental and avant-garde performance reality at the turn of the twentieth century. It was a daring approach to production that wanted to be as different as possible from what was then considered the ‘norm’, mainly Realism and Naturalism. We still see a lot of realism today. For many good acting is when the actors look ‘natural’, when they ‘become’ the character, and when they make us believe that what we are seeing on the stage is really happening. We tend to like linear stories, with one event following the other.
Modernism, however, did not really care for these ways of doing theatre! Modern theatre had actors perform in the third person, change their costumes in front of the audience, make a stark use of movement and physicality, address or involve directly the audiences, wear heavy make-up and stylised costumes. Modern directors removed the proscenium [the part of a theatre stage in front of the curtain], emptied the stage from unnecessary clutter, used different levels, connected the stage to the auditorium, and projected video or slogans on screens. Anything in fact, to show that life and theatre are two distinct, if not separate, realities.
As an example: one might imagine a conventional romantic scene as follows. The actors look at each other in a suggestive manner, whisper their words, and embrace. The lights are dimmed and a soft piece of music is played. The director Vsevolod Meyerhold, discussed in the talk, took a completely different approach. In a production titled The Forest (1924), he had the two actors lifted in the air through a harness, and their relationship was expressed through a frenzied flight above the spectators. It is a love confession but also a flight of freedom; a bold, creative, and unexpected theatrical solution…and because it was unexpected such theatre became a problem to authoritarian regimes who wanted to exert control on every aspect of life, including the arts.
In reaction to Realism and Naturalism, modern theatre branched into many different ways and ideas. It is closely linked to the avant-garde and to its many ‘–isms’. Therefore, in Soviet Russia we find Symbolism (in reality, even in France) and Constructivism; Italy was linked to Futurism; Germany to Expressionism. France managed to keep its text-driven traditions while updating the form. But the early twentieth century was also when the means of communication improved and knowledge about how one produces theatre could move from one place to another. Therefore, modern theatre practitioners are known for influencing each other, for sharing practices, for collaborating, and for questioning and challenging each other. A fantastic web between them is created, one that is impossible to ever untangle completely – though trying is certainly a big part of the fun!
Fortunately, photography was also becoming more common at the time, which means that we have a lot of photographic documentation of the performances staged. Perhaps one of the most striking and representative picture is that of the set for Meyerhold’s performance Le Cocu Magnifique (1922). The play was set in a village, but the stage was conceived as a machine or factory with ramps, levels, a large wheel, stairs, and slide. Some might see it quite bare, but then the set offered plenty of possibilities for the actors’ movement and physical work. The stage at Jacques Copeau’s company Le Vieux-Colombier again shows boxes, stairs, bare walls, and platforms. With minimal changes it could be used to depict plays by Shakespeare, Molière, or Ibsen. In fact, these were minimal sets used to heighten the work of the actor and to stimulate the imagination of the spectators.
Modern practices did not simply die out. Some of its most innovative solutions became accepted, but the modernist attitude of experimenting and seeking new ways of pushing theatre boundaries remained in contemporary theatre. At the Department of Theatre Studies of the University of Malta we take these modern ideas and work them out practically in class. We learn about our history, but with an eye decidedly fixed on contemporary performance and the students’ own artistic journeys. We do this because we believe in hands-on learning methods, and because we want to explore how modernism can be used in theatre today.
Let’s Do Things Differently is taking place at ArtHall in Victoria on Friday April 4 at 7.30pm
