Throughout history, theater has played an essential role in the artistic field. Stories told centuries ago with lessons of nobility, morality, courage and patriotism seem to disregard the passage of time and are always recreated. However, not everyone was supportive of this conventional form of theater. Antonin Artaud, in particular, hated theater and wanted to reform the way society experienced it. In this article, I will examine Artaud's role as a major contributor to modern theater in his attempt to rid performance of its false realism, as well as the neoclassical ideals of the bourgeoisie. Generally, when we imagine the theater, we often imagine a stage, with three walls and an audience. Artaud was concerned with this view and recognized the need to create something innovative and contrasting with this conventional perception. Artaud was an actor, poet, playwright, and theorist with a desire to create material that “probes questions of abandonment, confinement, and creativity… [producing] crucial images of the resurrection of language and life” ( 1-Barber). In particular, he firmly believed that “theater restricts itself” (108) and that it should “[awaken] our hearts and our nerves” (108). Society separates daily life from theater, viewing it as a fictional world brought to life by actors at predetermined times, in a special building where actors and spectators arrange to meet, but there is still a disconnect between the two. It is precisely this division, “based on the notion of “spectacle”, “mimesis”, “imitation of life outside of life”” (108), that Artaud rejects. Thus, he founded the Theater of Cruelty; a concept in which one returns to a more primal and raw state of mind and body, this was his attempt to rid theater...... middle of paper...... of culture. Demanding a reduction in the restrictions imposed by classical works, he rejects the text and focuses only on the primitive aspects of civilization. Overall, Artaud's impact on modern theater is undeniable and, in his own words, "the theater will never again be itself" (108). Works Cited Barber, Stephen. Antonin Artaud Blows and Bombs. London: Faber and Faber, 1993. Barber, Stephen. The body that screams. Paris: Creation Books, 1999. Goodall, Jane. Artaud and the Gnostic drama. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. Jamieson, Lee. Antonin Artaud From theory to practice. London: Greenwich Exchange, 2007. Leach, Robert. Creators of Modern Theater An Introduction. London: Routledge, 2004. Schumacher, Claude. Artaud on the Theater. London: Methuen Drama, 1989. Sethi, Manohar K. The Theater of Cruelty. New Delhi: Commonwealth Publishers, 1993.