- Early 20th Century Avant-Garde: Total Theater's roots lie in the innovative ideas of the European avant-garde movements, such as Futurism, Dadaism, and Surrealism, which aimed to break away from traditional art forms and create immersive and multidimensional experiences.
- Adolphe Appia and Edward Gordon Craig: These influential theater practitioners emphasized the integration of all theatrical elements into a unified work of art and explored spatial design as an indispensable factor in creating meaningful atmospheres. Their theories on lighting, movement, and scenic space contributed to the foundational ideas of Total Theater.
- Bauhaus and Constructivism: The Bauhaus art and design school in Germany and the Constructivist movement in Russia brought the notions of functionality, abstraction, and multidisciplinarity to the artistic realm. The influence of these movements played a role in reimagining the conventional theatrical space.
- Happenings and Performance Art: Performance art and spontaneous performances known as "happenings" that grew out of experimental art circles also pushed the boundaries of live performance and influenced the total theater concept.
Although Total Theater did not develop during a precise single year or moment, it evolved gradually throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries as pioneering artists sought to reevaluate, reinvent, and redefine theatrical expressions.