What is Experimental Theatre?

Experimental theater takes an alternative approach to creating performances, challenging the traditional ways of conceptualizing and presenting theatrical productions. A work of experimental theater may involve audience members and political agendas. Whereas a traditional theater piece may have a writer, director and set designer, these roles may be combined, altered or absent in experimental theater.

Experimental theater began in the West as a way of challenging the status quo of traditional theater. Also referred to as avant-garde theater, experimental theater explores creative and ideological freedoms, and resists the constraints of traditional theater rules. The establishment of avant-garde theater came at a time of an identity crisis in the theater genre.

One of the characteristics of experimental theater is to involve audience members in the production itself. Production creators who have a specific political ideology or social agenda use this method to generate new ideas. For example, if exploring a prevalent social issue, an experimental approach might pose questions to be answered by the audience members as part of the production. Performers then might react to such answers, creating a different presentation each night depending on the unique characteristics of each audience.

Another distinguishing quality of experimental theater is to challenge the traditional roles of individuals typically involved in the production of a theater piece. Whereas a standard theater production might start with a script which is then handed off to a director who then hires performers, the experimental approach varies greatly. A group of performers may gather to each write a section of the script and direct their own or each other's performances.

Experimental theater also challenges the traditional role of a set designer. Performers and audience members may work together to create the mood and atmosphere of the performance by throwing objects back and forth, alternating props from night to night or using unconventional stage sets. Stage lighting may involve household items such as flashlights or matches. In general, experimental theater distinguishes itself by breaking standard theater rules on all levels.