Freud and the Theatre

Theatre historians credit Freud and his theories for being the prime impetus for the birth of the modern theatre. Freud's theatre-going activities varied throughout his life. In his younger days, he seemed to enjoy attending performances. In later life, he rarely went to the theatre except for an occasional Mozart opera or Shakespeare play. When writing about the drama, he tended to deal with it as a literary product rather than as a performed event. On only one occasion did he communicate to a friend that the healing cathartic effect of art might be greatest when viewing the drama. Although credited with being the “father” of the modern theatre, Freud was somewhat skeptical about its artistic merits and was certainly concerned about its emphasis on the irrational. However reluctant Freud was about modern dramaturgy, his ideas had a profound effect on playwrights, such as Schnitzler and O'Neill, and through them was instrumental in freeing the theatre from its Victorian moral straitjacket. Freud's ideas also served as the background for other psychoanalysts interested in the theatre, especially Otto Fenichel, who wrote the seminal paper on the actor's personality.