Adolphe appia biography of william shakespeare

Adolphe Appia

In the last decade of the 19th century, Adolphe Appia, working virtually in isolation, laid out both the theoretical and practical foundations for a fundamental and permanent change in theatrical art.

Through his extensive commentary, detailed scenarios, and unprecedented designs - all inspired by his analysis of Wagnerian opera - Appia first provided a complete and devastating critique of the disastrous state of theatre practice, and then, with quite astonishing foresight, suggested the solutions which, in time and frequently at the hands of others, would re- establish it upon an entirely different basis.

In his revolutionary work, Die Musik und die Inscenierung (Music and the Art of the Theatre), Appia suggested that essentially music was the measure of all things.

The score itself should dictate not only the duration of the performance, but also all movement and gestures of the actors, and by extension, the phys