ABSTRACT
NATURALISM AND SYMBOLISM MARK the beginnings of modernist theatre and in many ways provided the template for much that followed. André Antoine’s Théâtre Libre (1887-94) was perhaps the first independent experimental theatre company in the modern world and the Symbolist theatres that followed, while fiercely opposed to the Naturalism with which the Théâtre Libre was associated, followed Antoine’s lead in choosing intimate small theatre spaces, producing short plays performed by amateur casts, and publishing journals to explain their work and ideas. Most modernist theatres which followed were a response to, and rejection of, Naturalism. For that reason, it is sometimes supposed that Naturalism was not a modernist theatre and that modernism emerged precisely in reaction to a perceived conservatism on the Naturalist stage. In fact, Naturalism was foundational to modernist theatre practice and caused as much scandal, controversy and outrage as any of the radical, experimental theatres that came after it. The term ‘naturalism’, in particular, has become flattened out to refer to any theatrical production where the set and the acting attempt vaguely to resemble real life. Similarly, the term ‘symbolism’ can refer to any attempt to represent things and ideas through symbols. Naturalist and Symbolist theatre in their particular historical moments had a much more specific character and remit. The naturalism of Robert De Niro’s acting or the symbolism in a play like Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot are very di»erent from the Naturalism of Thérèse Raquin or the Symbolism of Maurice Maeterlinck’s work.
