MODERN MASKS
The study of the use of masks in Modern Western Drama is very interesting due to the profound change that occurred in theater at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. Susan Smith, author of Masks In Modern Drama, says:
"Playwrights and directors reacted against the dominant modes of naturalism and realism and moved towards a more 'Theatrical Stage.' The result was a burgeoning experimentation by playwrights attempting to define a 'total theatre,' one which would incorporate all of the arts. Folk celebrations, festivals, circuses and puppet shows were revived, their vitality incorporated into legitimate theater." (Smith, pg. 3)
She then adds:
"The use of masks on the modern stage did not just arise solely from the rediscovery of the folk idiom, the idea of 'total theatre' paralleled a similarly revived idea of 'Theatre Mundi.' This new ritualistic, hieratic, symbolic, aesthetic theater would speak in images. The masker in primitive culture was a visible vehicle of communal religious expression when he danced; the imitation of an ordered universe reaffirmed and maintained that cosmic order. The idea that a modern community might also experience such ritual prompted Max Reinhart, Antonin Artand, William Butler, Yeats and others to employ the devices of an esoteric, aesthetic and intellectual theatre. The mask figured prominently in this attempt to revise communal theater." (Smith (2), pg. 3)
Hence, the use of "folk idiom" and desire to introduce a new, yet primitive, or foreign ritual, into modern society, sparked the return of masks to the stage on a large scale. This return has historical significance, insofar as it retouched a rich cultural and theatrical heritage, but one can see that the modern playwrights who implemented the use of masks did so to express specifically modern concerns such as aesthetics, psychological, sociological and philosophical topics. Smith contends that:
"Modern man, stripped of the absolute of religious beliefs, is less secure than his ancestor. For modern man, the mask may not represent the face of god, but rather one of the many faces of himself. The philosophies of mans inherent and necessary duality, expressed in the works of Hegel, Schlegel and Nietzsche, influenced the modern playwrights as did the psychologies of the divided psyche propounded by Freud and Jung. Many playwrights turned to the mask to dramatize philosophical or psychological divisions within the characters. The anti-naturalistic dramatic forms such as symbolism, surrealism and expressionism that were fostered by modern philosophical and psychological ideas often employ the mask as a vehicle of expression. This use of mask separated the presentational stage from the representational stage of realism and naturalism." (Smith (3), pg. 3-4)
To touch on what Smith mentions, the mask, in modern theatre, is an excellent theatrical tool to emphasize themes in a play. If done correctly, the implementation of masks can have tremendous effect because nothing can so eloquently blend the aspects and factors of art, psychology, sociology, philosophy and performance. These are reasons why this rich tradition started by the Greeks has not completely died. People continue to make relevant connections to the statements that the use of masks can articulate.
The following is a collection of pictures showing the uses of masks in modern plays. Click on the small version if you would like to see a larger version.
