The Theatre and its Double

This new translation of Antonin Artaud’s canonical text conveys Artaud’s words and ambitions in an appealing and contemporary English.

In The Theatre and Its Double, first published in 1938, Antonin Artaud puts forward his radical theories on drama and theatre, which he saw as being stifled by conservatism and a lack of experimentation. Containing the famous manifestos of the ‘Theatre of Cruelty’, this collection of essays analyses the underlying impulses of performance, provides suggestions on a physical-training method for actors, and features a long appreciation of the expressive values of Eastern dance drama. This new English translation of Artaud's canonical text by Mark Taylor-Batty retains the idiosyncratic nature of the author's writing, communicating its fervour and ambition, while achieving a much-needed clarity. Through doing so, it facilitates a fuller appreciation of Artaud’s artistic objectives and the original context in which they grew, aided by a newly translated set of his notes and drafts, and a selection of letters to his publisher, friends and associates concerning the book's genesis and the evolution of the concept of a ‘Theatre of Cruelty’. The commentary further contextualizes this material within Artaud’s broader oeuvre, from his collaboration with the Surrealist group through to his plans to stage his own adaptation of Percy Shelley’s Les Cenci in 1935. A welcome addition to any theatre-lover's or student's bookshelf, this translation of Artaud’s classic text offers clear and faithful insights into Artaud's theatre.