Expressionism - Theatre Styles

Expressionism is an attempt to discover a technique and method which will express what the dramatist imagines the inner reality of his drama to be, more perfectly and impressively than any of the other dramatic styles of theatre are capable of doing. The dramatist attempts to show not objective but rather the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events awaken in them. The Expressionist theatre movement developed in Germany around 1905. It was characterised by …

…traditional human values over domination and mass production. Probably because of its abstract nature, expressionist theatre was very stimulating but did not thrive artistically. It is widely believed that expressionist theatre was over by 1925. Expressionist playwrights began to represent new cultural experiences by separating the theatrical languages of bodies, voices, and words. In doing so, they not only innovated a new dramatic form, but redefined playwriting from a theatrical craft to a literary art form.