Surrealism-Plays is a site that offers everything you
wanted to know about the history of Surrealism and Avant-Garde
Theatre.
From a Brief Overview of
Surrealism, to an In-Depth History of the Surrealist
Movement; from bios for Surrealist Writers, to samples of Surrealist Poetry and Manifestos; from a List of Surrealist Artists to
numerous pages of Surrealist Art, Surrealist Photograpy, Surrealist Architecture & Design, Surrealist Films and Photos of the Surrealist Group in Paris. There is also a page devoted to Belgian Surrealism , as well as an
extensive Surrealist
Books list.
If you're interested
in Breton, Eluard, Desnos, Dali, Bunuel, Artaud, Peret,
or Lorca, you can learn about them
here!
Surrealism-Plays also offers A History of Avant-Garde Theatre, as
well as bios for Avant-Garde
Playwrights and an Extensive List of Avant-Garde Theatre Books &
Plays. In addition, there are numerous pages
featuring Images relating to Avant-Garde Theatre.
If you're
interested in Jarry, Brecht, Artaud, Witkiewicz
or Tadeusz Kantor, you'll find info about them
here!
Surrealism
was a
literary
, artistic and revolutionary movement, founded in Paris
during the 1920s. Its primary goal was to overcome societal traditions
that oppressed the freedom of the individual, and to explore, in a
completely uninhibited manner, the far reaches of one's imagination, dreams
and desires.
Two words were key to Surrealism:
Liberation and Exploration. Andre Breton, who wrote the
first Manifesto of Surrealism in 1924, spoke about a "revolution of
the self" - an attempt to touch the very core of one's self,
in its purest form, unaffected by the external world and its
influences.
Inspired by Sigmund Freud and
his studies of the subconscious, Surrealists experimented with
automatic writing and games of chance, pushing beyond traditional
logic, and delving deep into the world of the irrational, the mysterious,
and the "marvelous of everyday life".
Surrealism manifested itself through
literature, poetry, art, photography, cinema, philosophy and politics.
Among the best known Surrealist writers are Andre Breton, Louis Aragon,
Paul Eluard, Robert Desnos, Benjamin Peret, Antonin Artaud and Rene
Crevel. Surrealist artists include Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Joan
Miro, Yves Tanguy and Andre Masson. Luis Bunuel is perhaps the most
acclaimed Surrealist filmmaker, while Man Ray gained fame for his
photography.
If you would like to read Andre Breton's First
Manifesto of Surrealism (1924)
in its entirty, as well as other
Surrealist texts, please visit our Documents page.
On our Surrealist
Images page, you will be able to
browse hundreds of images, including Surrealist Art by Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Joan Miro, Max Ernst, Giorgio de Chirico, Yves Tanguy and Man Ray.
Visitors are encouraged to
engage in discussions relating to Surrealism
and Avant-garde Theatre on our Discussion & News page. In
addition, any questions concerning the topics
of Surrealism or Non-traditional
Drama are welcome via email on our Contact page. 
Other links
relating to Surrealism and Avant-Garde
Theatre, including sites devoted
to Andre Breton, Luis Bunuel, Salvador Dali, Robert Desnos, Bertolt Brecht
and others, can be found on our
Surrealist &
Avant-Garde Theatre Links
page.
CHECK OUT
OUR
LATEST SURREALIST RECOMMENDATION!
SANCTUS
FUMIGACI
a
collection of
Surrealist Plays
Click on the below image to learn
more!
"Bash is one of the few contemporary playwrights who
captures the spirit of surrealism. In fact, surrealist figures from the
past, such as Luis Bunuel, Salvador Dali and Paul Eluard, appear as
characters in a couple of his plays. Dream-like, funny, and sometimes
disturbing, SANCTUS FUMIGACI (which, in English, loosely translates to
"Holy Smoke") is recommended for fans of avant garde literature and
experimental theater."