Search

The thesis will consider the impact of German expressionist theatre in Britain and America in the period 1910 to 1940, concentrating on developments in writing, design, criticism and theatrical organisation. An introductory chapter will provide a resume of the major trends in European and American theatre in the period, leading to an examination of the detailed aspects of German Expressionism to be pursued in the following chapters. This will be followed by the two major sections of the thesis, dealing with the British and American theatrical scene respectively. The former will concentrate on the growth of the provincial theatre and its response to Expressionism, and on examples of the specialised interest in the style in some British theatres. The latter will concentrate on the genesis of the American literary theatre in groups such as the Washington Square Players, the Provincetown Players and the Theatre Guild, and will also concentrate on the extent to which an expressionist influence in stage design ran alongside the absorption of literary techniques. This will be followed by a consideration of the influence of Expressionism in the sphere of political theatre, through an examination mainly of the work of two groups, the American New Playwrights Theatre and the British Group Theatre. Generally the thesis will present an analysis of primary sources from the period, and will largely limit itself to a consideration of the effects of Expressionism within the stated countries and period, rather than extending to a consideration of developments after the Second World War or outside Britain and America.