Create a thoughtful post as to how the theories of Artaud and Brecht have influenced the theatre or movies since 1945. Do you think their influence is...

Both
Antonin Artaud and Bertolt Brecht sought to revolutionize traditional . As both felt that the
norms of traditional theatre €“ such asand naturalism €“ were too complacent and pandered to the
bourgeoisie, they formed their own manifestos of change. Artaud theorized what is now known as
the Theatre of Cruelty, while Brecht, drawing on Artauds ideas, formed the Epic
Theatre.

Traditional theatre drew on Aristotles ideas on , as discussed in
Poetics. Aristotle advocated for a conventional narrative structure €“ one that has a clear
beginning, middle, and end. He also asserted that drama must move its audience to
spiritualthrough fear and pity:

Tragedy in its essence is an
imitation, not of men as such, but of action and life, of happiness and
misery€¦

Artaud and Brecht, however, felt that this sort of
imitation was cheap, and instead sought verfremdungseffekt, or defamiliarisation €“ this effect
was one of alienation, in which the audience would constantly be made aware of the fictionality
of the play, and so would simultaneously grow attached and detached to its characters. Through
this, Artaud purged the "...idea of theatre whose only value lies in its
agonising magic relationship to reality and danger, while Brecht aimed to move the
audience to social and political change.

In the aftermath of World War II,
notable artists drew on the theories of Artaud and the Theatre of Cruelty to raise awareness on
state violence and systemic oppression €“ the most successful of which was playwright Jean
Genet. In the 1960s, theatre director Peter Brook of the Royal Shakespeare Company utilized
dramatic devices from both Artaud and Brecht to deliver sharp social and political commentary.
In film, their ideas led to stylistic devices such as extensively utilizing text, the use of
masks, and the breaking of the fourth wall €“ done by filmmakers from Michael Haneke to Woody
Allen.

Artaud and Brechts ideas on theatre are still relevant today, with
both esoteric and mainstream practitioners €“ such as director Darren Aronofsky in his 2017
film, Mother!. Their ideas are present in the field of critical theory as
well, as seminal philosopher Jacques Derrida has drawn on the Theatre of Cruelty extensively in
his writings.