Celeste Oon, Lauren Kim & Diana Motta Morales -- Anti-realist style

Anti-realism is a performance style rooted in non-realistic representations. It can be embodied in particular genres—for example, in slapstick comedy, musicals, and vaudeville. Dyer writes that these genres make use of “non-realist, even distanciating, devices aimed at 'pointing' a gag or a number” (p. 137). Besides comedic and musical genres, anti-realism also holds an interesting relationship to genres like melodrama and soap opera. Though many would argue that such genres embody elements of realism, they also often employ anti-realist performance strategies through heightened gesture, tone of voice, and emotion. Additionally, the performance style emphasizes symbolism and thematic expression more prominently than traditional narrative and direct methods of storytelling. Artists in the late 19th century were exploring the potential of the human mind beyond science and scientific expectation which led to further use of surrealism, formalism, absurdism, and other various styles of abstract performance. Today, due to its abstract and fluid nature, anti-realist performance can be found in a variety of works and is not restricted to particular genres.

Examples

Theatre of the Absurd – “Waiting for Godot”

"Waiting For Godot" with Steve Martin and Robin Williams (Full scene).

This clip is from a play that exemplifies anti-realism because the premise of “Waiting for Godot” is that the two men paradoxically explore what it means to wait for meaning in a meaningless existence. The play emerged after World War II, which reflects the atmosphere of searching for purpose that is in the play. 

This clip from the Rooney’s in 1935 displays the Vaudeville tradition of breaking into song and dance. Following anti-realism, many comedic routines in this style rely on exaggerated or pointed gags and strategies to transition into musical segments.

This is a Clip from Lupita Ferrer in Cristal, It depicts a woman conveying her dramatized expression when a man walks in to comfort her. This follows the lines of anti-realism because it over emphasizes her emotions and movements. The woman breaks down in crying and it's clear to see she's intoxicated by how she's speaking, which also plays into the absurdism styles anti-realism offers. 

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