Formalist style

Formalism in theater, also known as theatricalism, emerged in the 20th century as a reaction against naturalism. This movement rejected the illusion of reality, instead embracing the inherent theatricality of the stage.1

Key characteristics include:
* Direct Audience Engagement: Theatricalists favored stages that extended into the audience space to foster direct contact between actors and spectators.1
* Acknowledgement of Artifice: They accepted that audiences were in a theater and actors were on a stage, utilizing scenic constructions and lighting as deliberate artistic elements.1
* Emphasis on Convention: Spectators were expected to accept and appreciate the overt theatrical conventions presented.1

This style influenced designers and directors like Gordon Craig and Max Reinhardt, and its theorist, Bertolt Brecht. The frank acceptance of dramatic artifices became a lasting feature of modern theater. In Russia, Formalism, particularly associated with Vsevolod Meyerhold, involved representative types replacing individual characters and Constructivist settings.12