Maya Ellison
Tennessee Williams introduced the concept of plastic theatre in 1945 with the published version of The Glass Menagerie. Williams believed that plastic theatre would answer the problems he perceived in American wartime theatre and help develop a stronger postwar American theatre. Plastic theatre is a theatrical mode that relies on expressionism and symbolism, and utilises props, sound, stage direction, and costume to present poetic truths through symbolism. It is not intended to be realistic, but symbolic.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Realism | Anti-realist stance |
| Symbolism | Use of symbols to present poetic truths |
| Expressionism | Expression of universal truths |
| Elements | Lighting, music, set, props, sound, stage direction, costume |
| Text | Text is integrated with the elements |
| Physicality | Physicality of the stage environment is important |
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What You'll Learn
- Tennessee Williams' plastic theatre is a theatrical mode, not a literary one
- Plastic theatre is an anti-realist style that embraces symbolism
- Plastic theatre utilises lighting, music, set, and props
- Williams' plastic theatre is influenced by German Expressionism and Brecht's Epic theatre
- Plastic theatre is used to side with the marginalised and evoke sympathy
Tennessee Williams' plastic theatre is a theatrical mode, not a literary one
Tennessee Williams introduced the concept of "plastic theatre" in 1945 with the published version of "The Glass Menagerie". It is a theatrical mode, not a literary one, that heavily relies on expressionism and symbolism. Williams believed that theatre in America placed too much emphasis on words and not enough on the essential elements of theatre. He took an anti-realist stance, asserting that the emphasis on words should be replaced by a theatre that recognised the plasticity of the stage and the expressivity of all the elements of play production.
Williams' intention in using plastic theatre was to side with the marginalised and evoke sympathy for the protagonist despite their failings. In "A Streetcar Named Desire", Williams uses plastic theatre to represent the way the world of Stanley, a figure of 'New America', is gradually closing in on Blanche. For example, the sound of a locomotive approaching outside is used to symbolise the end of Blanche's age of innocence and the beginning of her pretences.
Plastic theatre utilises props, sound, stage direction, and costume to present poetic truths through symbolism. Williams insisted that setting, properties, music, sound, and visual effects—all the elements of staging—must combine to reflect and enhance the action, theme, characters, and language. In his scripts, he sought to present his vision of how his plays would work on stage by demonstrating how these elements should be integrated with text.
Williams' stage directions in the original script of "The Glass Menagerie" called for decidedly plastic elements, including slide projections, film-like soundtrack music, and lighting dissolves and fades. These elements were not included in the original production but demonstrate Williams' vision for the play.
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Plastic theatre is an anti-realist style that embraces symbolism
Tennessee Williams introduced the concept of "plastic theatre" in 1945, with the published version of "The Glass Menagerie". Williams believed that his new style of theatre would answer the problems he perceived in American wartime theatre and help develop a stronger postwar American theatre.
Williams claimed that American theatre placed too much emphasis on words and not enough on the essential elements of theatre. He took an anti-realist stance, asserting that this emphasis on words should be replaced by a theatre that recognised the plasticity of the stage and the expressivity of all the elements of play production. Williams wanted to make full use of all the resources of the contemporary stage—language, action, scenery, music, costume, sound, and lighting—and bind them into an artistic unity conceived by the playwright.
Plastic theatre is a theatrical theatre as opposed to a literary or literal one. It is heavily reliant on expressionism and symbolism and is not intended to be realistic, but symbolic. Williams uses the elements of plastic theatre to present poetic truths and to side with the marginalised. For example, in "A Streetcar Named Desire", Williams uses the sound of an approaching locomotive to symbolise the way the world of Stanley (a figure of "New America") is gradually closing in on Blanche, who is tethered to her past glory in the "Old South". The locomotive also represents the future, which Blanche cannot fit into.
Williams's plastic theatre has significant implications for the practice of set design. Scholars have explored the work of leading designers of Williams's plays, considering how their designs related to dominant trends in twentieth-century set design. Even today, some shows on Broadway, such as "M Butterfly" or "The Invention of Love", could not have been staged without the concept of plastic theatre.
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Plastic theatre utilises lighting, music, set, and props
Tennessee Williams introduced the concept of "plastic theatre" in 1945 with the published version of "The Glass Menagerie". Williams believed that this theatrical mode would answer the problems he perceived in American wartime theatre and help develop a stronger postwar American theatre.
Williams' plastic theatre is heavily reliant on expressionism and symbolism. It is not intended to be realistic but symbolic. Plastic theatre utilises lighting, music, set, and props to present poetic truths through symbolism.
In Williams' play "A Streetcar Named Desire", for example, Williams uses plastic theatre to represent the way the world of Stanley (as a figure of 'New America') is gradually closing in on Blanche. The sudden approach of a locomotive, which is symbolic of Stanley's troublesome omnipresence in Blanche's life, is a sound convention of plastic theatre.
Williams' stage directions in the original script of "The Glass Menagerie" called for several plastic elements, including dozens of slide projections, film-like soundtrack music, and lighting dissolves and fades.
Williams insisted that setting, properties, music, sound, and visual effects—all the elements of staging—must combine to reflect and enhance the action, theme, characters, and language.
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Williams' plastic theatre is influenced by German Expressionism and Brecht's Epic theatre
Tennessee Williams introduced the concept of "plastic theatre" in 1945, a time when straightforward realism was the dominant style on American stages. Williams, however, wanted to experiment with theatrical techniques, drawing on expressionism and symbolism.
Williams' plastic theatre is influenced by German Expressionism, which is characterised by the visual and aural rendering of a play's emotions on stage. This artistic style is evident in Williams' plastic theatre, which employs lighting, music, set, and props to provide a "more penetrating and vivid expression of things as they are" than realism can accomplish. This is achieved through the use of transparencies, subtle lighting effects, and music, which Williams considered valid instruments of expression.
Williams' plastic theatre also shares similarities with Brecht's Epic theatre, a term coined by Erwin Piscator, with whom Williams studied. Brecht's approach to theatre was influenced by Piscator's political motivations, and both artists aimed to address contemporary issues and present moral problems on stage. Brecht's Epic theatre employs strategies such as audience interaction and documentary effects to cultivate an objective response, while Williams' plastic theatre uses lighting, music, and sound patterns to create a sensuous symbol that enhances the audience's experience.
Both forms of theatre aim to provide a penetrating portrayal of reality. Brecht's Epic theatre prioritises function over form, utilising techniques such as actors playing multiple characters, rearranging the set in view of the audience, and breaking the fourth wall. Williams' plastic theatre, similarly, focuses on the theatrical experience, emphasising the importance of all elements of the contemporary stage, including language, action, scenery, music, costume, sound, and lighting, to create a unified artistic expression.
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Plastic theatre is used to side with the marginalised and evoke sympathy
Tennessee Williams introduced the concept of "plastic theatre" in 1945, a time when straightforward realism was the dominant style in American theatre. Williams, however, believed that American theatre placed too much emphasis on words, neglecting other essential elements of theatre. Thus, he took an anti-realist stance and introduced the idea of plastic theatre, which would utilise props, sound, stage direction, and costume to present poetic truths through symbolism.
Williams' intention in using plastic theatre was to side with the marginalised and evoke sympathy from the audience. In his play, 'A Streetcar Named Desire', Williams uses plastic theatre to represent the way the world of Stanley ('New America') is closing in on Blanche. Through the use of symbolism, such as the sound of a locomotive approaching, Williams evokes sympathy for Blanche, a character with whom he, as a homosexual in 1947, could relate to as an outsider.
The term "plastic theatre" refers to the belief that the physicality of the stage environment is as important as the text, with all elements of staging combining to reflect and enhance the action, theme, characters, and language. This includes setting, properties, music, sound, and visual effects. Williams' stage directions in the original script of 'The Glass Menagerie' called for plastic elements such as slide projections, film-like soundtrack music, and lighting effects.
Williams' work has been analysed through various theoretical lenses, including G.W.R. Hegel's views on contradiction, W.E.B. Du Bois' notion of veiling, and Malcolm Bull's theories of hiddenness. His plays, including 'The Glass Menagerie', 'A Streetcar Named Desire', 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof', and 'Suddenly Last Summer', have been examined for their radical experimentation and alleged embrace of poststructuralist or postmodernist methods.
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Frequently asked questions
Plastic theatre is a theatrical mode that utilises props, sound, stage direction, and costume to present poetic truths through symbolism. It is not intended to be realistic, but symbolic. Tennessee Williams believed that theatre in America placed too much emphasis on words and not enough on the essential elements of theatre.
The term was first introduced by Tennessee Williams in 1945 with the published version of "The Glass Menagerie".
In "A Streetcar Named Desire", Williams uses the sound of a locomotive approaching outside to symbolise the way the world of Stanley ('New America') is closing in on Blanche. The locomotive is also symbolic of a future that Blanche cannot be a part of due to her being tethered to her past.
Plastic theatre has significant implications for the practice of set design as it places importance on the physicality of the stage environment and the manner in which the stage space is arranged.
Apart from "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "The Glass Menagerie", Williams' other plays that utilise plastic theatre include "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", "Suddenly Last Summer", and "The Night of the Iguana".
