Necessary Cruelty

by Mitchell Tribbett

This book will explore the dramatic concepts of Antonin Artaud as presented in Le Théâtre et son Double. Included in this exploration will be an analysis of The Theatre of Cruelty, its inception, goals, and actual manifestation. The first chapter will describe my experience directing Amy Wheeler's Two Birds & a Stone, provide an explanation of some of the choices I made as director, and discuss the influences that affected my work. The second chapter begins the investigation of The Theatre of Cruelty and will attempt to both clarify the meaning of Artaud's theories and explain their necessity. The third chapter identifies three modern theatre practitioners who have made use of Artaud's theories and explores the validity of Artaud's principles in terms of the modern theatre. This book is recommended for anyone interested in Artaud's theories in practice.