Expressionism

Question 1

Who influenced Treadwells style ?

Answer 1

Oscar Kikoschka and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Question 2

What was expressionism ?

Answer 2

The theatre of gesture, noise, colour and movement
It was anarchic and dangerous

Question 3

What was the atmosphere often like ?

Answer 3

• Dreamlike or nightmarish the mood aided by shadowy distorted lighting
• convention of a pause/ silence juxtaposing a long amount of speech (dream like effect)

Question 4

What did setting do ?

Answer 4

• Avoid naturalistic details and emphasized themes of the play using bizzare shapes and extreme colours

Question 5

What were characters ?

Answer 5

• Caricatures of people or stereotypes: loss of identity
• representing social groups
• grotesque and unnatural

Question 6

What was dialogue like ?

Answer 6

Staccato or telegram style contrasting to the poetic monologues

Question 7

What were actions like ?

Answer 7

• Exclamatory action focused article of the actor to the message being conveyed and was presented in mechanical movements or puppet like actions
• sometimes overacting to an extent with mechanical movements of a puppet