ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights some of the key events and theoretical discussions that marked not only the birth of the post-war avant-gardes but also the definition of the concept of ‘new theatre’. The selfsame category of scenic writing has developed into a real performance code, which foresees the continuous redefinition of the relationship between languages within an environment that is both semiotic and performative. A substantial change in the approach to theatre and its expressive codes came about in the period that started in the early 1950s and reached its peak in the 1960s. A definition was needed for new theatre, a category that can embrace multiple and extremely discontinuous experiences and at the same time overcome the dialectics of traditional and avant-garde theatre. While certain aspects link the second avant-garde of the twentieth century to the historical avant-gardes and to the partial revival of their aesthetics, they also play a role in making it profoundly different.
