Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Which play by Oskar Kokoschka helped announce Expressionist theatre?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Oskar Kokoschka
Austrian painter and writer Oskar Kokoschka, from a German postage stamp, c. 1986.
The play by Oskar Kokoschka that is widely credited with helping to announce Expressionist theatre is Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen (1907; "Murderer, Hope of Women").1
Some authorities consider this work, along with his other early plays such as Sphinx and Strawman (1911) and The Burning Bush (1913), to be the first truly Expressionist drama. These plays were significant for breaking with traditional literary conventions, instead utilizing violent visual images and a "language of images" to communicate the psychological and emotional experiences of the characters. Through these works, Kokoschka expressed his compassionately humanist philosophy and his sensitivity to the moral crises of modern life.21