Postmodern theatre is a recent phenomenon in world theatre, coming as it does out of the postmodern

Postmodernism

Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...

 philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

 that originated in Europe in the middle of the twentieth century. Postmodern theatre emerged as a reaction against modernist theatre. Most postmodern productions are centered around highlighting the fallibility of definite truth, instead encouraging the audience to reach their own individual understanding. Essentially, thus, postmodern theatre raises questions rather than attempting to supply answers.

Postmodern techniques

A postmodern theatrical production might make use of some or all of the following techniques:

1. The accepted norms of seeing and representing the world are challenged and disregarded, while experimental theatrical perceptions and representations are created.
2. A pastiche
   Pastiche
   A pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
   
    of different textualities and media
   Media (arts)
   In the arts, a media or medium is a material used by an artist or designer to create a work.-Architecture:In the art and science of architecture, the design and construction of buildings and interiors, infrastructure and other physical structures are created...
   
    forms is used, including the simultaneous use of multiple art
   Art
   Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
   
    or media forms, and there is the 'theft' of a heterogeneous group of artistic forms.
3. The narrative needs not be complete but can be broken, paradox
   Paradox
   Similar to Circular reasoning, A paradox is a seemingly true statement or group of statements that lead to a contradiction or a situation which seems to defy logic or intuition...
   
   ical and imagistic. There is a movement away from linearity to multiplicity (to inter-related webs of stories), where acts and scenes give way to a series of peripatetic dramatic moments.
4. Characters are fragmented, forming a collection of contrasting and parallel shards stemming from a central idea, theme or traditional character.
5. Each new performance of a theatrical pieces is a new Gestalt, a unique spectacle, with no intent on methodically repeating a play.
6. The audience is integral to the shared meaning making of the performance process and its members are included in the dialogue of the play.
7. There is a rejection of the notions of "High" and "Low" art. The production exists only in the viewer's mind as what the viewer interprets - nothing more and nothing less.
8. The rehearsal process in a theatrical production is driven more by shared meaning-making and improvisation, rather than the scripted text.
9. The play steps back from reality to create its own self-conscious atmosphere. This is sometimes referred to as meta-theatre

While these techniques are often found in postmodern productions they are never part of a centralised movement or style. Rather, they are tools for authentic introspection, questioning and representation of human experience.

Notable examples of postmodern theatre

• Ozono Production's "Fuerzabruta
  Fuerzabruta
  Fuerzabruta is a postmodern theatre show that originated in Buenos Aires in 2005 and was created by Diqui James. It is also the name of the company that brings the show, formerly called De La Guarda...
  
  "
• Heiner Müller's
  Heiner Müller
  Heiner Müller was a German dramatist, poet, writer, essayist and theatre director. Described as "the theatre's greatest living poet" since Samuel Beckett, Müller is arguably the most important German dramatist of the 20th century after Bertolt Brecht...
  
   "Hamletmachine
  Hamletmachine
  Hamletmachine is a postmodernist drama by German playwright and theatre director Heiner Müller. Written in 1977, the play is loosely based on Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The play originated in relation to a translation of Shakespeare's Hamlet that Müller undertook...
  
  "

See also

• Postmodernism
  Postmodernism
  Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
  
  
• Postmodernity
  Postmodernity
  Postmodernity is generally used to describe the economic or cultural state or condition of society which is said to exist after modernity...
  
  
• Poststructuralism

Postmodern plays on Wikipedia

External links

• Forced Entertainment http://www.forcedentertainment.com
• Fuerza Bruta http://www.fuerzabruta.net/