... Artaud suffered from mental ill ness. Artaud's influence on theatre was ahead of it time and many people believed his work was produced because he was mad. There are many who consider Artaud to be a madman, yet there is no question that he revolutionised contempory theatre . Artaud was associated with various experimental theatre groups. In Paris he co-founded the Theatre Alfred Jarry. Artauds most cherished dream was to found a new kind of theatre in French which would be, not an artistic spectacle, but a communication between spectators and actors. As in primitive societies it would be a theatre of magic and dreams. The Alfred Jarry Theatre gave birth to the new ideas of Antonin Artaud. Artaud's concept of the "theatre of cruelty" greatly influenced the 20th centaury theatre. The aim of the "theatre of cruelty" was to shock and disturb the audience. Artauds new theories and techniques influenced the development ...

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