Theatrical Realism

Characteristics of theatrical realism

Also known as realistic drama, this genre of drama features characteristics that create the impression of a credible world. Below are the key characteristics of theatrical realism.

Realism in theatre: techniques

Multiple techniques are used in productions to communicate an atmosphere of plausible realism. For example, actors will wear costumes appropriate to their background and social class. Those portraying poorer characters may wear simple and unadorned clothing.

Set design is also an important realist technique in theatre. Sets are an accurate depiction of the world being created, but they are also typically simple in this genre. The focus is on the actors and the realistic story they are constructing. Realist sets frequently consist of a home or space with three walls shown, with one wall missing from the side that the audience is facing. This gives the impression that we are looking in on a private and very real story.

Theatrical realism: style

As a theatrical style, realism has had a significant and long-lasting impact on the medium of theatre. Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, realism became one of the most prominent theatrical genres. In times of political and social turmoil, audiences preferred characters they could relate to. As protest movements fighting social inequality popped up around the world, many realist dramas portrayed and challenged these same inequalities. Today, realist plays are still one of the most common dramatic genres.

It is also important to recognise the difference between realism and another similar dramatic genre, naturalism. While both genres create a believable world for their audience, naturalism centres more around dissecting societal conditions and why things are the way they are. Naturalist plays look for the reasons behind things, often taking a scientific approach.

Realism in theatre: examples

As a popular and influential theatrical genre, there is a multitude of examples of realist plays. Examples of realistic dramas or theatrical realism include:

• A Doll's House by Henry Ibsen (1879)
• The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov (1903)
• A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams (1947)
• Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (1949)

Each one makes a concerted effort to be both relatable to and representative of their contemporary audience.

Theatrical realism: A Doll's House (1879)

A Doll's House by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) is today considered a foundational play in the genre of theatrical realism. Ibsen's play follows Nora Helmer, a married woman and mother living in late nineteenth-century Norway. She has been keeping a secret from her husband, Torvald, about how she attained money to help him cure an illness he had. Nora has told Torvald that she got the money from her father, but, in reality, she forged her father's signature in order to borrow the money. At this time, women were not legally permitted to have any control of finances.

Torvald works at a bank and has just been promoted to manager. His first act is to let go of an employee who was once caught forging a signature. Torvald highly disapproves of this practice. However, this is the man that Nora borrowed money from, and he threatens to expose Nora's forgery to her husband if she does not get him his job back. Eventually, Torvald finds out what Nora has done and is furious, despite her good motives. Nora comes to the conclusion that Torvald is not good for her, and she leaves him.

Much of the realism in A Doll's House comes from its thematic focus. Torvald continually talks down to Nora, seeing her as a doll and very much not his equal. Nora is trapped, stuck in the domestic sphere as a wife and a mother. This was representative of the reality for many women at the time. Ibsen also uses normal and recognisable dialogue in his play, as quoted below. This quote also exemplifies how Torvald infantilises Nora with pet names. He does not view her as an autonomous adult.

Theatrical realism: The Seagull (1896)

Anton Chekhov's (1860-1904) The Seagull is a key text in the tradition of Russian theatrical realism. It centres around several complicated familial relationships and unrequited loves that all eventually come to a tragic end. Konstantin Treplev is a struggling playwright who is desperate to impress his mother, Irina Arkadina, a famous theatre actress, and her lover Boris Trigorin, a writer. Treplev has written a play that he hopes will do this, but his mother only mocks his efforts. Treplev is also deeply in love with Nina Zarechnaya, an aspiring actress. However, Nina does not return his affection.

Fig. 1 - Anton Chekhov's works are a classic example of theatrical realism.

Instead, Nina falls for Trigorin, who she finds intriguing and charming. The two begin an affair which Irina begs Trigorin to stop. At times, he is engaged in relationships with both women at once. Treplev remains alone. Chekhov's story moves on by two years in its final act. During this time, Trigorin lived with Nina before leaving her and returning to Irina. Nina also gave birth to Trigorin's child, who died soon after. She never found success as an actress. Similarly, Treplev has not been a literary success. He has also remained devastated over his unrequited love for Nina. The Seagull ends with Treplev's offstage suicide.

As a realist play, the plot of The Seagull depicts plausible events that many people struggle with, like family problems and unrequited love. Much of The Seagull's realism comes from what is left unsaid and unseen. Several characters in the play have issues with communication, and many of the most dramatic events in the play take place offstage, for example, Treplev's suicide. Chekhov is interested in investigating how these things can impact the human condition.