Theatrical reforms of Luigi Pirandello and Antonin Artaud: a comparative analysis

Context and relevance. This article examines the theatrical reforms of Luigi Pirandello and Antonin Artaud. Objective. To identify similar techniques, methods, and approaches to transforming a performance to transform the audience's value hierarchy. Hypothesis. Both theatrical figures understood theater as an opportunity to emotionally impact the audience, with the goal of penetrating the depths of the human unconscious and returning modern man to basic cultural values. Methods and materials. To achieve the research objectives, the author applied comparative, axiological, dialectical, and cultural methods to analyze the creative ideas of two outstanding theatrical figures who greatly influenced contemporary theatrical art. Primary attention is paid to the value aspects reflected in the playwrights' linguistic and technical methods. The comparative method facilitated the study of the characteristics of the theatrical work of Pirandello and Artaud, identifying the common and specific features in their concepts of performance. Dialectical and cultural methods were applied for a dynamic study of the problem in a specific cultural environment. Results. The study revealed that Pirandello and Artaud deconstructed performances so that, without being distracted by the plot, audiences would recognize their dependence on existing, soulless norms and attempt to reclaim their lost identity. The playwrights used words in performances in a new way, seeking to diminish the role of language, believing that words no longer express the essence of the individual, but only the social mask. They explore the relationship between mask and personality, in which the mask assumes a leading role, resulting in the dehumanization of culture. Pirandello and Artaud understand the dangers of "entertainment culture," the inculcation of banalities and deceptive ease of perception, which contribute to modern man's withdrawal from reality. They consider their exalted performances an effective means of transforming contemporary society. During a period of cultural crisis, they were among the first to understand the need for fundamental change in society and attempted to transform it through innovative performances. Conclusions. Despite their different approaches to the use of innovative technologies and their belonging to different nations, Pirandello and Artaud set themselves the same creative goals: to awaken public consciousness with the help of exalted, harsh theatre, and to return society to fundamental values.