SHARE:  
Join Our Email List
Today's First Folio Theatre Facts:

What is Naturalism?
Photograph of the first production in Stockholm of August Strindberg's naturalistic play Miss Julie, performed in November 1906.
Naturalism is a movement of theater that come about in the late 19th to early 20th century, in which a theatrical production attempts to create the illusion of reality through a range of dramatic strategies.

Darwinian themes pervade naturalistic plays. Where realism seeks only to describe subjects as they really are, naturalism attempts to determine "scientifically" what influences characters' actions, including environment and heredity.


  • The three primary principles of naturalism are called faire vrai, faire grand, and faire simple. First, the play should be realistic, and be as close a study of the human condition as possible.The second principle was that the play had to be meaningful, and each theme or event had to be of significance. Lastly, the third principle was that the play had to be simple and the writer should not clutter the play with unnecessary sub-plots or dialogue.*
  • The first play to be considered a "naturalist" drama was Émile Zola’s Thérèse Raquin, an 1873 dramatization of his own 1867 novel. His "slice of life" technique for his play reflected his rejection of dramatic deception in the theater, demanding that plays be faithful records of human behavior.**
  • Naturalism sparked a wave of new theaters in Europe to be established in the late 1800s, with the intent of showcasing young playwrights of the naturalistic drama. These included the Théâtre-Libre (“Free Theatre”) in Paris, the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, the Independent Theatre Club in England, and the Moscow Art Theatre in Russia.**
The Moscow Art Theatre's production of Anton Chekov's The Seagull in 1898.


  • The Moscow Art Theatre Company is known for establishing two of the most influential artists of naturalism - Konstantin Stanislavsky and Anton Chekov. **
  • Chekov's play, The Seagull, had initially failed in its first production in St. Petersburg, but a revival at the Moscow Art Theatre solidified it as a success. The theater went on to stage several more of his naturalistic plays, including Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard.**
  • Not all audiences were captivated by naturalistic theater. Often depicting the harsher, gloomier sides of life, naturalistic plays were often criticized as being too blunt.***



*Information from "Principle of Naturalism" from Bartleby Research, 2021.
**Information from "Western Theatre - Naturalism" from Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2021.
***Information from "Naturalism (theatre)" from Wikipedia, 2021.
COMING UP NEXT:
AGATHA CHRISTIE'S THE SECRET COUNCIL
Adapted by David Rice
Directed by Brigitte Ditmars
Featuring Artistic Associate Melanie Keller

Thrill to the first adventure of Tommy and Tuppence, Agatha Christie’s most dashing and romantic sleuths. In the wake of the Great War, England finds itself under attack from a Secret Council of its enemies, who are plotting to undermine and subvert one of the bastions of freedom. Can Tommy and Tuppence thread the maze of mysteries and murders to save Great Britain from the Bolsheviks? As they follow the trail of clues that lead all the way back to the sinking of the Lusitania, Tommy and Tuppence are drawn inexorably into a web of both love and deception, where they can trust no one but themselves.

Previews: January 26 - 28
Runs: January 29 - February 27, 2022
Our 2021-2022 season is sponsored by Alan and Susan Becker

First Folio's programs are sponsored in part by
grants from the Illinois Arts Council (a State agency)
and the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation. 

First Folio Theatre is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.  
  
All performances take place on the grounds of the Mayslake Peabody Estate, which is owned and operated by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Indoor shows are presented in Mayslake Hall, a 30-room Tudor Revival style mansion originally built by coal baron Francis S. Peabody. Completed in 1922, the mansion is on the National Registry of Historic Places.

First Folio Theatre is fully accessible with reserved ADA seating available and assisted listening devices available for all indoor performances. To request ADA seating, please contact the Box Office at 630-986-8067.
© 2021, First Folio Theatre.