The Theater and Its Double

I have read this at least once a year for the past four years and it changes my life every time. As I get older and more mature, so does my theatre theory. This is a theatre theory book that all collaborators should read.. from actors to designers, to dramaturgs and directors to Stage mangers and so on.

This is definitely required reading for theatre students. It will help you better understand the shift in modern and experimental theatre that has transpired over the course of the last century. It will also help you better understand the basis for a lot of horrible theatre concepts staged by overzealous students and professors, the world over.... Be wary of people throwing around the Theatre of Cruetly catchphrase as if they know what it means....

I'll admit that this is the first time I've read Artaud. And I'll admit that when I began reading the first section, The Theater and the Plague, I thought on numerous occasions, "Where is this guy going with this?" Upon concluding this section, and after picking myself up off the floor, I returned to the beginning for a another read through, and again, afterward, found myself floored. Artaud presents a take on theatre like none other. A take that many may disagree with, but few can deny the illuminating profundity of his analogies, correlations, and general theatrical philosophizing. But don't think Artaud is without a sense of humor. With a blurt like, "I saw some sort of human snakes, otherwise known as playwrights, explain how to worm a play into the good graces of a director...", whose not going to let out a chuckle? (Especially if you're guilty). In addition, this book boasts some of the best writing that I've ever read. His writing is crisp, unmasked, and intellectually and visually stimulating. And as an added bonus, nine "I'm an ugly man smoking a cigarette" black and white photos precede the text. At $10, "The Theater And Its Double" won't disappoint.

I've kept my ratty copy of this book for 25 years wherever I have gone. It is a very serviceable translation of a seminal work of 20th century theatre criticism. Whatever one thinks of Artaud's ideas, he provides much food for thought. Essential reading for study or for pleasure.

Through his theories of the theatre as a plague and as cruelty, Artaud defines in a small space exactly what American theatre has lost complete track of. If you hope to understand what theatre is and how it truly manifests itself, intently study this book. If you do not, then go away!