Some of the important developments in modern drama are expressionism, epic theatre, symbolism, surrealism, and the theater of the absurd.
1. Expressionism: Expressionism in drama was concentrated in Germany in the early 20th century. Friedrich Carl Georg Kaiser (1878-1945) was the most famous expressionist dramatist. His popular plays include "From Morn to Midnight" and "The Burghers of Calais." The main feature of expressionism is a distortion of physical reality to highlight certain emotional effects and convey personal moods and feelings.
2. Epic Theater: The chief proponent and successful practitioner of this form of modern drama was the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956). Its main feature was the use of the ancient epic convention of choruses and projections as a means of commentary. "Mother Courage"(1939) is Brecht's most famous play.
3.Symbolism: The aim of symbolism was to capture absolute truth by indirect methods. Symbolism emphasized mysticism, and the life of dreams and fantasies. The most famous symbolist theater person was Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard, Count Maeterlinck (1862-1949). His most famous play is "The Blue Bird" (1908).
4. Surrealism: Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki, (1880-1918) is the foremost surrealist playwright and his most successful play is 'The Breasts of Tiresias' (1903,1917). Surrealism's main is to reveal the dynamics of the sub conscious and is characterized by fantastic imagery and juxtaposition of bizarre subject matter.
5. Theater of the Absurd: As the word 'absurd' indicates the dramas of the "Absurd" reveal the meaninglessness of modern life and depict man as a puppet controlled by some bizarre external force. Some of the important playwrights of this type of drama are Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter. Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" (1948,1953) is one of most important plays of the twentieth century.
Please read the book "Modern Drama:Critical Concepts" edited by Martin Puchner.
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