From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia In theatre,
naturalism developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It refers to theatre that tries to create a perfect illusion of
reality through detailed sets, an unpoetic literary style that
reflects the way real people speak, and a style of acting that
tries to recreate reality (often by seeking complete
identification with the role, as advocated by Stanislavski).
Naturalism was criticized in the mid-20th century by Bertolt
Brecht and others who argued instead for breaking the illusion
of reality in order to encourage detached consideration of the
issues the play raises. Though it retains a sizable following,
most Western theater today follows a semi-naturalistic approach,
with naturalistic acting but less realistic design elements
(especially set pieces). Naturalistic performance is often
unsuitable when performing other styles of theatre, particularly
older styles. For example, Shakespearean verse often requires an
artificial acting style and scenog