German Expressionist Theatre

What is German Expressionist Theatre?

● A fascinating, but short-lived theatrical style in Germany

● Introduced in the early 1900s
● Expressionism was inspired by works in literature and the visual arts such as Edvard
Munch’s painting The Scream
● Initially a rebellion against Realism and Naturalism in the theatre, Expressionism’s
impact was intense
● Later influencing practitioners Bertolt Brecht and Erwin Piscator, Expressionism made
way for other, more militant performance styles in Germany, such as Epic theatre.
Edvard Munch’s
Painting:

The Scream
 Background
● The term ‘Expressionism’ was first used in the visual arts and later applied to the theatre
● Expressionism began as a catch-all term for anything in the arts that departed from real
● Began in Germany around 1912 and Died out around 1921
● Short-lived but significant theatrical movement
● Rebellion against realism and naturalism in the theatre
● The expressionists believed realism and naturalism focused only on surface detail, while
Expressionism focused on the inner qualities of the protagonist (and humanity)
● A theatre of social and political protest (war, family, industrialisation, mass production)
 Atmosphere
These (expressionist) playwrights and their
followers stripped their characters of
individuality and reduced them to abstract
personifications embodying a particular
viewpoint. They exist, therefore, as symbols
rather than people. (Wickham)
● Dreamlike and surreal (early stages
of the period)
● Nightmarish, eerie
● Appeal to the audience’s emotions
● Closely linked to play’s theme or
message
 Stagecraft

● expressionist scenic design

● lighting was often stark, illuminating key areas of the stage space
● deliberate use of shadow
● stages were bare with few props
● only those settings essential to the play’s theme were used
● sets were deliberately distorted, shapes and lines were unusual, sharp and angular
● scenery did not define a location (abstract)
● sets were often decorated with sensational and garish colours
● props were normally symbolic
● use of masks
 Plot & Structure
Many of the (expressionist) conventions reflect the protagonist’s internal state – almost always warped by
the callousness of materialism – causing us (the audience) to see the external world through his
(protagonist’s) distorted vision. (Brockett)

PLOT STRUCTURE

● content concerned with industrialisation, war,
dreams of the subconscious
● message at the centre of the plot (often
involving a search for the truth)
● the message was often told from the viewpoint
of the dreamer or hero (protagonist)
● taboo topics such as incest and patricide
became the subject of several expressionist
plays
● episodic (unified by a central idea or argument)
● self-contained, loosely connected scenes
● disjointed
● short, static scenes, not causally linked (as with
realistic and naturalistic plays)
● use of tableaux
● antithesis of the well-made play
● shift away from realism

Characters
Characters could be representative
of states of mind and therefore
could not be played realistically.
(McNamara, Tourelle)
● stereotypes
● caricatures (often grotesque)
● mostly lacked individuality eg. The
Woman, Nameless One, The
Worker
● represented a social group
● characters as symbols
● impersonal
● inner psychological reality of
characters was revealed (often by
external means, such as through
scenic design)
 ● truncated
● clipped
● fragmented
● telegraphic speech patterns
juxtaposed with long monologues
● rapid, breathless speech
● poetic and lyrical
Dialogue ● mix of prose and verse
● speech consisting of a small number of
words and/or phrases
● dialogue disconnected with the actor’s
movement and gesture
● unusually long pauses and silence in
dialogue
● distinct lack of interpersonal
communication between characters
 ● stylised
● rhythmical
Movement ● mechanical
In their (expressionist) plays, which
● robotic
verbalise emotions rather than dramatise
conflicts, an autobiographical
● urgent
protagonist is involved not in a plot but in ● energetic
an apocalyptic quest – often for his
essential identity. (Banham ed.)
 Acting Style
● appearance of over-acting
● ‘ecstatic’ style of acting
● intense
● violent
● expressing tormented emotions
● mixture of presentational and representational
Expressionist Theatre Examples
1. The Black Rider and the casting of the Magic Bullets) by Tom Waits
(Directed by Robert Wilson 1990)
2. 11811 German Expressionism in Film
3. Rhinoceros’ by Euguene Ionesco (Directed by Robert Wilson)
4. Tim Burton’s influences for his expressionistic style
 Banham, M., (Ed.) The Cambridge Guide to
Theatre

Brockett, O., History of the Theatre

Brockett, O., The Essential Theatre

Sources Burton, B., Living Drama 4E

Crawford, J. L., Acting in Person and in Style

https://thedramateacher.com/german-expres McNamara, M., Tourelle, L., Performance: A

sionism-theatre-conventions/ Practical Approach to Drama

Mobley, J., NTC’s Dictionary of Theatre and Drama

Terms

Styan, J.L., Modern Drama in Theory and Practice

3: Expressionism and Epic Theatre

Wickham, G., A History of the Theatre