Absurd Theatre Overview

A dramatic form that explores the meaninglessness of life, often through illogical events, fragmented dialogue, and bizarre situations.

Playwrights who challenge traditional storytelling, experiment with language, and create unique, unsettling worlds on stage.

A literary and artistic movement that rejected logic and rationality, using nonsense and chaos to express the absurdity of life.

A literary and artistic movement that focused on freeing the imagination by exploring dreams, the unconscious mind, and free association.

The idea of absurdity in literature refers to the inherent meaninglessness of life, highlighted by the playwrights' unconventional plots, language, and character interactions.

A genre of literature that combines elements of tragedy and comedy, often creating a mix of dark humor and serious themes.

A type of play that challenges traditional storytelling by avoiding clear beginnings, middles, and ends. It focuses on creating a sense of unsettling ambiguity and uncertainty.

A technique where playwrights use random, disconnected conversations or statements that lack a clear connection to the preceding dialogue.

A style of writing that emphasizes ambiguity, hidden meanings, and the power of silence. The characters' words often mask a deeper truth, which the audience must decipher.

A situation that resembles the strange, illogical, and often oppressive worlds created in the works of Franz Kafka.

Situations in literature that are dreamlike, illogical, and defy rational explanation, often blurring the boundaries between reality and fantasy.

Situations in literature that are both funny and strange, often featuring exaggerated behavior or absurd occurrences.

A literary movement focused on expressing inner emotions and experiences through unconventional language and imagery.

A style of theatre that uses physical movement, gestures, and ritual to explore the subconscious and evoke powerful emotional responses from the audience.

A group of young British writers who emerged in the 1950s, known for their anger and disillusionment with traditional British society.

The artistic style of the Angry Young Men, characterized by a focus on working-class characters facing hardship and disillusionment with post-war British society.

A defining play of the Angry Young Men movement, written by John Osborne in 1956, which explores themes of anger, disillusionment, and class conflict in post-war Britain.

A British theatre magazine that championed innovative and challenging theatre, playing a key role in promoting the work of new playwrights.

A type of theatre that focuses on using unconventional forms, language, and storytelling to engage the audience intellectually and emotionally, often featuring a strong emphasis on the audience's active participation.

A British playwright known for his

A British playwright known for blending absurdism and postmodernism in his works, creating plays that explore complex themes related to time, identity, and knowledge.

A term used to describe a style of theatre that emerged in the 1990s, characterized by its provocative content, explicit violence, and exploration of taboo subjects.

A British playwright known for his controversial and thought-provoking plays that tackle challenging themes of morality, identity, and the human condition.

A style of theatre that emerged in the late 20th century, influenced by postcolonial writers and their perspectives on cultural identity, history, and colonialism.

A Caribbean playwright and poet who explored themes of history, cultural identity, and colonialism in his work, using a blend of traditional storytelling and modern techniques.

A Nigerian playwright and poet, known for his work that often tackles themes of colonialism, cultural identity, and political oppression. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986

A type of theatre that prioritizes social change and activism through its content and form, often using theatre as a tool to address social and political issues.

The period in the late 20th century marked by the decline of traditional theatrical forms and the rise of more experimental and diverse styles in British theatre.