The Dilemma of the Artist in Contemporary British Theatre: A Theoretical Background

The present paper tackles the dilemma of the artist in contemporary British theatre. It commences by introducing a clear-cut definition of the dilemma of the artist in literature.There are certainly many dilemmas for the artist. One of the most painful is social: How can the artist function as a member of a certain community and, at the same time, retain the distinctiveness of his/her role as an outsider whose social usefulness is based on his/her chronic estrangement from the ordinary concerns of society?; by this, I mean the perplexing dilemma in which the artist finds in his/her struggle to reconcile private desire to public expectation. A second dilemma of the artist is economic: How can artists practice their art? This dilemma has two facets. On the one hand it is related to subsidy the art received from public budget. On the other, it is the materialistic norms of the society in which the artist has immersed himself/herself. Indeed, the dilemma that faces radical artists nowadays is that the popular forms of communication are often controlled by conventional and commercial forces at work in society. However, it is not only money which is the source of the artist's economic dilemma, but rather the existence or the paucity of good audiences. Under such perilous circumstances, the artist's genuine dilemma lies in confronting the Zeitgeist, the general intellectual and moral tendencies of an era, which can be evasive and intangible. According to the above premises, three points will be discussed. 1. The function of the artist and art in society. This will be investigated according to those radical thinkers such as Lukacs, Brecht, Benjamin, Gramsci, Shklovsky and Sartre. It also sheds light on Howard Barker's views of theatre. 2. Art and Commitment. The concept of commitment will be discussed to draw a complete picture of how artists and thinkers responded to it. Accordingly, the cult of "Art for art's sake" in opposition to art for other aims, will be highlighted. No doubt, the idea of commitment forms a crucial component in literature. 3. Art and Politics. It traces the general similarity between the intentions of art and politics. Both are an attempt to give coherence and form to the disorder of experience. However, the nature and function of art implies the inevitable political involvement to a certain degree, on the part of the writer. Sometimes, art is exploited for political propaganda and ideologies.