ABSTRACT
In 1888 Swedish dramatist August Strindberg proposed an idea for a new theatre: instead of “a Bible in pictures for those who can’t read” (Strindberg 1983: 63), theatre would become a venue for social and literary debate or, as he described it, a “place of entertainment for educated people” (ibid.: 75). Such a monumental transformation would demand the construction of a new dramatic repertoire, as well as radical shifts in scenography and theatre design, including: making the orchestra invisible, raising the auditorium floor “so that eye level for the spectator was higher than the hollow of the actor’s knee,” removing the stage boxes along with their “grinning late arrivals from dinners,” and darkening the house during performances (ibid.: 75). Above all, Strindberg desired “a small stage and a small auditorium” (ibid.).
