Initial Impressions...

Genre	Similarities to Artaudian Theatre	Differences to Artaudian Theatre
Melodrama	·         Madness and exaggerated acting is often portrayed onstage ·         Focus on the technical aspects e.g. sound and lighting were very important	·         Melodrama playwrights wanted the audience to come to the theatre knowing the ending of the play would be a happy one; good would always triumph over evil. Artaud however wanted his audience to fell deeply unsettled and disturbed, with their senses liberated ·         Performed on a stage whereas Artaud often broke the fourth wall
Elizabethan Theatre	·         Elizabethan tragedies aimed to arouse terror in the audience much like Artaud.	·         Told a story through poetic verse or prose whereas Artaud preferred to tell tales through noise ·         Much more literal, lateral and straight forward i.e. the story was told from beginning to end ·         Performed on a stage whereas Artaud often broke the fourth wall
Realism	·         Political and social issues were portrayed much like in Artaudian theatre where religion was often emphasised ·         Realism rebelled against the upper class snobbery as Artaud rebelled against the conventional way of performing	·         People act in an environment that is like one we live in every day – Artaud’s works are far more abstract ·         Performed on a stage whereas Artaud often broke the fourth wall ·         Tried to get audience members to real compassion for the actors whereas Artaud often tried to get the audience to loath or feel scared of the actors
Mime	·         Grotesque facials and movements are often used ·         Physical theatre was very important ·         Sometimes performed on streets i.e. not always on stage	·         Mime is more about telling a story through movement whereas Artaud tells a story through sound and movement, with use of lots of conventions, soundscapes – shrieking, screaming, panting etc
Clowning	·         Incorporates a lot of physical theatre and movement ·         Artaudian theatre focussed on ritual a to a lesser extent so did clowning with its ‘rule of three’	·         Most commonly performed to provide humour whereas Artaudian theatre aims to create uncomfortableness