theatricalism

theatricalism, in 20th-century Western theatre, the general movement away from the dominant turn-of-the-century techniques of naturalism in acting, staging, and playwriting; it was especially directed against the illusion of reality that was the highest achievement of the naturalist theatre. In the theatricalists’ view, to turn one’s back on naturalism was to draw inspiration from the spirit of the theatre itself. The then-current picture-frame stage called for passivity of response in audiences and their separation from...