Six Characters in Search of an Author

E569054

Six Characters in Search of an Author is a groundbreaking 1921 metatheatrical play that explores the blurred boundaries between reality and fiction through unfinished characters who invade a theatrical rehearsal demanding their story be staged.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf absurdist play
metatheatrical play
play
adaptation film adaptations
numerous stage productions worldwide
television adaptations
author Luigi Pirandello NERFINISHED
character the Actors
the Boy NERFINISHED
the Director
the Father
the Little Girl NERFINISHED
the Mother NERFINISHED
the Son NERFINISHED
the Stepdaughter NERFINISHED
countryOfOrigin Italy
dramaticForm open form drama
dramaticTechnique breaking the fourth wall
direct address to the audience
firstPerformanceLanguage Italian
genre drama
metatheatre
modernist theatre
influenced metatheatrical drama
theatre of the absurd NERFINISHED
influencedBy Luigi Pirandello’s theories of the mask and identity
movement modernism
narrativeDevice play within a play
notableFeature blurs boundary between reality and fiction
characters interrupt a rehearsal
self-referential theatrical form
unfinished characters seek an author
notableReception initially controversial in Italy
later acclaimed as a masterpiece of modern theatre
originalLanguage Italian
originalTitle Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore NERFINISHED
premiereDate 1921-05-10
premiereLocation Teatro Valle, Rome NERFINISHED
publicationYear 1921
setting a theatre during a rehearsal
structure three acts
subjectOf extensive literary criticism
theme family conflict
identity and self
incompleteness of artistic creation
reality versus illusion
the autonomy of fictional characters
the nature of theatrical representation
truth and subjectivity

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Luigi Pirandello notableWork Six Characters in Search of an Author