The modern theatre dates from about 1875. It is now well into its second century. Realism finds its roots in the political and economic conditions of the later half of the 19th century. The downfall of Napoleon lead to the reinstatement of oppressive political conditions in many European nations. The industrial revolution was highlighting the terrible condition of man. Huge parts of the population deserted the country side to find jobs in the city, living conditions in urban centers became more and more inadequate daily. Many families were found living in the same room, all waste was thrown out onto the street. Crime and poverty was rife.

Expressionism came to dominate German theatre for a time in the 1920’s. It was a small and limited movement but had an influence throughout theatre. The term applies to a non-realistic production with dream like lighting effects. The principal influences of expressionism was the surrealist artist Salvador Dali and the famous Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud. Expressionism tried to bring to surface the psychological forces which lie beneath the conscious mind.

Henrik Ibsen (1828 – 1906) was one of the greatest pioneers of realism. Today he is sometimes called “The father of modern drama”. He was born a Norwegian. His most famous plays are: “A Dolls House” and “Ghosts”. These plays were extremely controversial all across Europe for their day and were met my unanimous disapproval by conservative critics. "This mass of vulgarity, egotism, coarseness, and absurdity... This disgusting representation...An open drain; a loathsome and fetid... Crapulous stuff." These were the London Daily Telegraph's comments on the 1891 English Premiere of what is described as "Ibsen's positively abominable play entitled Ghosts." Both these plays depict the typical Victorian marriage, the outward happiness but cold underlying truth.

Dadaism was a prelude to Surrealism. Many artists, actors poets and such were disillusioned by the first world war and fled to neutral Switzerland. There they formed an intellectual revolt. The prevailing attitude was to reject logic in all forms. They felt that absolute logic and order had led to the horrors of war. They recognized the irrational, instinctive and intuitive. The only purpose of Dadaism was to have no purpose. No sense chants, strange costumes were the norm.

t world in harmony was not relevant to the society of the time. The issues of the day needed to be addressed. Thus the realists emerged. Realism: “sought to improve the lot of mankind by coming to grips with the truth”. The movement that has had the most influence and long-lived effect on 20th century theatre is, beyond a doubt, realism. Realist writers would strive to create a truthful depiction of the society around them, in this way they believed that their work was moral since “truth is the highest form of morality”. Some supporters of realism said that if the audience did not agree with what they saw on the stage they should aim to change the society around them from where the playwright received his inspiration, and not

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