What is Experimental Theatre?

Experimental theatre falls under physical theatre and site specific theatre. It is theatre, but it takes away the boundaries and limits. It is about exploring and developing your emotions. You don't have to use a traditional play, you can use any stimulus, such as devised, improvised, poems or pictures anything that allows you to combine your mind, body, words and movements. It pushes the audience; it is not meant to entertain them, it is meant to get a message across.

Experimental theatre is when the audience can sympathise with the actors emotions. We have failed if an audience sits bored listening to an emotionless recital of words. We have also failed if we're using cheap thrills inbn our work. eg. chasing the audience with a chainsaw. We must get across what is important about life.

Peter Brook identifies a triangle of relationships within a performance and those are:
1. Performers internal relationships.
2. Performers relationship to each otehr on stage.
3. Performers relationships with the audience.

Good experimental theatre demands an actor's unity between their thought, body and feelings. The actors must tune their theatrical instrument - themselves. Plus, being able to create a living, dramatic flow. Through that the theatrical miracle comes afterwards. Experimental theatre has emotions and emotional link to the space the audience are in. It allows the audience to experience the space.