Antonin Artaud Biography

Antonin Artaud was a French playwright, poet, and theatre director whose influence on modern drama theory is profound. Initially associated with Surrealist writers and artists, he later broke away to pursue his radical theatrical visions independently. Artaud criticized the conventional Western theatre of his time, deeming it overly reliant on ordered plots and scripted language. He championed theatre as a visceral, impactful experience designed to overwhelm and physically affect the audience, employing disturbing forms of lighting and sound to create a sense of a 'vortex' that would engulf and disempower spectators.