Research

Not everyone knows if they have dementia, one of the ways to catch the early signs of dementia is by taking a SAGE test (example of a SAGE test: http://www.itv.com/news/2014-01-13/dementia-test/ ). A SAGE test, tests the mental abilities of an individual. If it seems as though a person does in fact have those early signs then the individual can be put forward to take a 'mini mental state examination' (MMSE) which usually confirms the query. It's good to get checked out if you're in doubt because although dementia can't be cured, there are many different medications that can help prevent the rate at which an individuals are affect by the disease. 

Antonin Artaud

"We do not intend to do away with dialogue, but to give words something of significance they have in dreams"


Here is a video on Antonin Artaud, his life and influences on theatre:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuQAS57I-qQ




Diagnosed as schizophrenic, Artaud spent the next nine years in mental institutions. (sourced:http://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/french-literature-biographies/antonin-artaud ) 


- He was a drug addict
- His parents put him into a sanatorium, he stayed there for 4 years
- He suffered with depression
- Has meningitis when he was young
- During his final years he was committed to a psychiatric hospital
- He was thought to be delusional during some of his life
- He got testicular cancer
- But he died of an overdose (wasn't confirmed whether this was purposeful)

- He believed that words were incapable of expressing the meaning of things. Instead music and      movement would be used
- His Theatre of Cruelty used emphasized music which would evoke certain audience responses such  as them discovering the sublime
- Artaud's ideas were not popular within his time
- Peter Brook was the main person who brought back Artaud's work and used his Theatre of Cruelty  effectively. He regenerated it and made it popular like it is today.























( http://www.thedramateacher.com/theatre-of-cruelty-conventions/ :)

Theatre of Cruelty aimed to shock the senses of its audience, sometimes using violent and confronting images that appealed to the emotions. Text was given a reduced emphasis in Artaud’s theatre, as dance and gesture became just as powerful as the spoken word. Piercing sound and bright stage lights bombarded the audience during performances.

Artaud experimented with the relationship between performer and audience, preferring to place spectators at the very centre of a performance surrounding them. His intention was to trap the audience inside the drama.

Following 3 images taken from: http://www.slideshare.net/jcrane66/the-amygdala-julie-eva-d