The Life of Antonin Artaud

Born in Marseilles in 1896,Antonin Artaud was a renowned French playwright, theatre theorist, poet, actor and director. Despite his struggle with mental illness and heavy medication, his vision was stretched even wider as a result of the pains an agony imposed on him. He was against relying simply on text, but advocated dissolving the performance space and exploring the possibility of body movements.

Prof. WONG Nim Yan
BA, MPhil, PhD (CUHK)

“The literal term of “Theatre of Cruelty” may be simply understood from any theatre dictionary. However, watching director Andrew Chan’s re-creation on stage is the only way to grasp how the “tenderness” of life is veiled underneath its savagery. At this stage, “Tenderness and cruelty” is no longer only a well-known book or literary canon title.”