What is experimental theatre?

The definitions of what experimental theatre is varies between different actors and practitioners. Experimental theatre is theatre which aims to push boundaries of conventional theatre. An art form without limits. Essentially it can be anything you want it to be. Effective experimental theatre, and theatre in general is where the audience can sympathize with the actors emotions. Often experimental theatre can just be a use of cheap thrills to force emotion from the audience. This type doesn't allow for a real connection to be made with the audience and the actors. An effective piece of experimental or if fact any kind of theatre, will communicate what is important about life. This means it will tap into universal truths about the nature of humans, or our society and discuss this through a story, music, movement and many other mediums.

Peter Brooke identifies a triangle of relationships inside a performance. The performers internal relationships. Performers relationships with each other onstage. The relationship between the audience and the performers. All these things are accounted for during a performance and they can all effect the success of a piece.

There is an argument that it is difficult to create a connection with an audience through rehearsals. This is because when a company rehearse there is no audience. I would say that as long as the emotional content in your play, or devised piece speaks from the heart then it will connect with any audience. If through your piece you are examining what people are like or what we find important about ourselves and in life then any audience member who watches it will be able to relate to it. This is why people still study Shakespeare today, because in his plays he taps into the core of human behavior  That's why so many years later we still celebrate his work. Even though Shakespeare isn't who you think of when you think about experimental theatre, it is important to remember him and the core ideas of theatre when creating experimental work. Otherwise you may end up loosing any emotional depth in your work, and resort to cheap thrills and artistic sequences which have no real theatrical value. In experimental theatre I think you can do whatever you want, so long as what you want to do has some purpose, meaning and an emotional message it is trying to communicate.