Non-Realism

The anti-realism movement was a response to the realism movement. “It was a burst of creative activity in both art and language”(Idaho). “To the anti-realist there was more to the human being than could be measured with the five senses and, quite pointedly, beyond the realm of science.” “Theatre’s reaction to the insensitivity and brutal meaninglessness of war became implanted in the both the message, and theme of the representative style, in which the pieces were written.  …They picked up identifying traits that collected or placed them in schools of philosophical thought or ‘isms’.” Each ism has a different thing they rely on or what they center around that helps add to the Non-Realism movement. The major isms include: Symbolism, Expressionism, Absurdism, Futurism, Dada-ism, Existentialism, Surrealism, Constructivism, and Formalism. The article from Idaho also names Eclecticism which “relies on the theatre practitioner’s ability to mix and match the above movements in a logical and artistic manner” (Idaho). 

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For anyone who's seen Peter and the Starcatcher, this antecedent is very prevalent in the play. People are used as doors, found objects are used to create the scene, and very minimalist sets are used to create the illusions.