DOCSLIB.ORG

A Study of Comedy in Howard Barker's Theatre Of

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Study of Comedy in Howard Barker's Theatre Of CARNIVALISATION OF CATASTROPHE: A STUDY OF COMEDY IN HOWARD BARKER’S THEATRE OF CATASTROPHE by MAHBOUBE KHALVATI Student No.: 53289668 submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of D LITT ET PHIL – ENGLISH TFENN05 in the subject of ENGLISH STUDIES The Department of English Studies College of Human Sciences at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: Professor ZT Motsa Month and Year May 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS Preliminary Material TABLE OF CONTENTS ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ i Preliminary Material ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ i Abstract ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ iii Declaration ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ v Dedication ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ vi Acknowledgements ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ vii CHAPTER ONE ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 1 1 Introduction and Research Overview ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 1 1.1. Aims and Motivation ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 1 1.2. Hypotheses and Theory ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 6 1.3. Review of Literature ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 14 1.3.1. Chekhov in the Context of the Post- World War II British Society ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 14 1.3.2. Barker's Emergence in the Post-World War II British Society ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 21 1.3.2.1. Books ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 21 1.3.2.2. Essays ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 51 1.3.2.3. PhD Theses ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 70 1.4. Summary ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 73 CHAPTER TWO ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 75 2. The Carnival in Theatre ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 75 2.1. Mikhail Bakhtin's Theory of Carnival ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 77 2.1.1. Grotesque Imagery ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 81 2.1.2. Laughter ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 86 2.1.2.1. Bergson's Theory of Laughter ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 87 2.1.2.2. Bakhtin's Theory of Laughter ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 90 2.1.3. The Marketplace ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 97 2.2. Caring through the Carnival ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 102 2.3. Summary ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 106 CHAPTER THREE ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 109 3. Barker’s Dramaturgy through the Lens of Humour ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 109 3.1. Claw: An Early Satire ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 110 i 3.2. Stripwell: Balancing the social classes ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 117 3.3. The Love of a Good Man: Feast of the death ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 126 3.4. Summary ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 132 CHAPTER FOUR ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 135 4. Comedy in Barker's Theatre of Catastrophe: The Comic as Social Leveller ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 135 4.1. The Power of the Dog and The End of War ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 137 4.2. The Castle: Carnival nipped in the bud ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 145 4.3. The Europeans: Staging (anti-)History ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 157 4.4. The Comedy of Life: Uncle Vanya and (Uncle) Vanya ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 173 4.5. Summary: The Comic as Social Leveller ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 204 5. Observations on Barker's Carnivalesque Tragedies ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 207 5.1 Carnival components of the Theatre of Catastrophe ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 208 5.2 Findings: Carnivalesque or Catastrophic? ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 210 5.3 Barker's Cult of Carnivalised Catastrophe ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 213 5.4 A Conclusion: Blending and Grafting ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 217 REFERENCES ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 221 ii Abstract This research explores the humour and laughter in Howard Barker's Theatre of Catastrophe in the light of Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of the carnivalesque against the backdrop of the post- Second-World-War British (post-WWII) society and cultural tendencies and problems thereof. In this research, which explores the different stages of Barker's work – namely plays written in the seventies, the eighties and early nineties – I argue that comedy and laughter are pivotal to Howard Barker's theory for theatre which ultimately shaped his Theatre of Catastrophe as a tragic theatre. Howard Barker forged the appearance of a unique theatrical practice, the Theatre of Catastrophe, not only through the revival of pain, death and tragedy but also through the juxtaposition of the carnivalesque and death/tragedy. This research therefore, studies transformation in Barker's art of theatre in a period of twenty years and demonstrates how the playwright deviates from tenets he set for his tragic theatre without necessarily betraying its tragic spirit. It is worth highlighting the observation that, the marriage of catastrophe and the carnivalesque remains the most significant achievement of Barker's art of theatre. Chapter Two of the research explores Bakhtin's theory of the carnival through the elaboration of crucial concepts such as the grotesque imagery, laughter and the marketplace. Bakhtin's thoughts on laughter root in Henri Bergson's theory of laughter. Definitely the realm of laughter somewhere in between art and life, both Bergson and Bakhtin also emphasise on the negative aspect of laughter. The engagement of individuals in the marketplace creates the concrete presence which is crucial to the carnivalesque. Taking into account the tenets of the iii Bakhtinian carnivalesque, this second chapter also concisely studies the challenges posed to the carnival theory by philosophers such as Umberto Eco and Terry Eagleton. The chapter finally investigates the revival of the concept of the carnival in the post-war British drama by studying David Edgar's advocacy of Augusto Boal's thoughts on the theatre and the necessity of the carnival. Chapters Three and Four offer close analyses of the plays written by Barker in the seventies, eighties and early nineties with the primary aim to show the turns and shifts that he takes in the development of his career as an oppositional playwright in search of a remedy to the cultural malaise of his day. The plays selected for these chapters are the ones which the playwright has categorised as his best plays, namely, Claw (1975), Stripwell (1975), The Love of a Good Man (1978), The Power of the Dog (1984), The Castle (1985), The Europeans (1987), (Uncle) Vanya (1992). Chapter Five sums up the findings on the research and concludes that Barker's comic sense goes beyond the comic sense ascribed to many tragic playwrights. The comedy which permeates his theatre of catastrophe shares affinities with the carnival leading to a carnivalisation of catastrophe in Barker's tragic theatre despite the claims by the Barker and his downplaying of the comedy which exists in his oeuvre. iv Declaration I, Mahboube Khalvati, hereby declare that this thesis for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree submitted to the Department of English has not been submitted previously for any degree at this or any other university. It is original in design and in execution, and all reference material contained herein has been duly acknowledged. Candidate’s Signature: Ms Mahboube Khalvati: Date: 02 May 2019 Supervisor’s Signature: Prof ZT Motsa: Date: 07 May 2019. v Dedication This thesis is humbly dedicated to my parents, Mahin Razmkhah and Naser Khalvati. vi Acknowledgements I
Load more

Recommended publications
  • E.M. Parry Designer
    E.M. Parry Designer E.M. Parry is a transgender, trans-disciplinary artist and theatre- maker, best known for theatre design, specialising in work which centres queer bodies and narratives. They are an Associate Artist at Shakespeare’s Globe, a Linbury Prize Finalist, winner of the Jocelyn Herbert Award, and shared an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement as part of the team behind Rotterdam, for which they designed set and costumes. Agents Dan Usztan Assistant [email protected] Charlotte Edwards 0203 214 0873 [email protected] 0203 214 0924 Credits In Development Production Company Notes DORIAN Reading Rep Dir. Owen Horsley 2021 Written by Phoebe Eclair-Powell and Owen Horsley Theatre Production Company Notes STAGING PLACES: UK Victoria and Albert Museum Designs included in exhibition DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE 2019 AS YOU LIKE IT Shakespeare's Globe Revival of 2018 production 2019 United Agents | 12-26 Lexington Street London W1F OLE | T +44 (0) 20 3214 0800 | F +44 (0) 20 3214 0801 | E [email protected] Production Company Notes THE STRANGE New Vic Theatre Dir. Anna Marsland UNDOING OF By David Grieg PRUDENCIA HART 2019 ROTTERDAM Hartshorn Hook UK tour of Olivier Award-winning production 2019 TRANSLYRIA Sogn og Fjordane Teater, Dir. Frode Gjerlow 2019 Norway By William Shakespeare & Frode Gjerlow GRIMM TALES Unicorn Theatre Dir. Kirsty Housley 2018 Adapted from Philip Pullman's Grimm Tales by Philip Wilson SKETCHING Wilton's Music Hall Dir. Thomas Hescott 2018 By James Graham AS YOU LIKE IT Shakespeare's Globe Dir. Federay Holmes and Elle While 2018 By William Shakespeare HAMLET Shakespeare's Globe Dir.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter Three Howard Barker: the Freedom and Constraint of the Artist’S Imagination
    80 Chapter Three Howard Barker: The Freedom and Constraint of the Artist’s Imagination During the 1980s, theatrical culture was liable to a variety of political and economic pressures that “produced an enormous sense of dislocation and dissatisfaction”.1 Besides funding cuts, the aesthetic merits of artistic values did not seem to be understood by the politicians. So, theatre was not only subject to funding cuts, but also to censorship, as we shall see. Government interference in performance and writing led to a sense of insecurity. So, works which were economically unviable were threatened with being banned or cancelled. In doing so, the commissioning of artists began to depend entirely on the criteria of the ruling political party – the Conservatives – who ignored the artists’ true feelings. In other words, the aesthetic value of artworks was ignored in favour of monetarism. Instead, the duty of the artist was to be devoted to espousing political ideals. The dilemma of the artist, therefore, was how did artists enjoy a degree of freedom without being censored? And if the artist failed to match the criteria of the ruling political party, what was the price of free expression? All these questions suggest radical changes in the British theatre system which is very complicated ideologically in respect to democracy, sponsorship and how the artists responded to it. Howard Barker is a writer who began to grapple with these questions when he became suspicious of the effectiveness of politically committed theatre at about the same time that Thatcher was elected as Prime Minister. Although he is marginalized in his country, Barker has remained a challenging writer who dismantled the strictness of Conservative values during Thatcher’s time.
    [Show full text]
  • Investigating the Notion of Catharsis and Probing the Concept of Pain In
    حوليات آداب عني مشس اجمللد 46 ) عدد إبريل – يونيه 2018( http://www.aafu.journals.ekb.eg جامعة عني مشس )دورية علمية حملمة( كلية اﻵداب Investigating the Notion of : Beyond the Zone of Comfort Catharsis and Probing the Concept of Pain in Howard Barker's 'Blok/Eko'and Sarah Kane's '4.48 Psychosis'. Neval Nabil Mahmoud Abdullah * Lecture College of Language & Communication - Arab Academy for Science, Technology& Maritime Transport. Abstract: The objective of this paper is to take us on a journey with an odd selection of two enigmatic and controversial British playwrights – Howard Barker and Sarah Kane – whose challenging theatrical works take us well beyond the zone of comfort we might be used to. Through a close textual analysis and a substantial critical evaluation of two crucial productions from the domain of their 'alien to our conception' of dramatic art, the present paper aims at going beyond just surveying their common shock tactics, showing parallels, or pointing out elements of recurrence in their texts. The aim is to get to the bottom of their experiential theatres by considering their transcendental tragic visions for a better exploration of reality and for a possible rebirth of the individual experience. Having explored the dark rooms of Barker's and Kane's self-styled theatres, particularly in their two significant dramatic works – 'Blok/Eko' and '4.48 Psychosis' respectively, the present study discerns that there is a noticeable intent and craft behind both playwrights' crafty 'violations' of the audience's personal space and comfort zones. Barker's and Kane's extremism is part of their attempt to question and criticize the audience's passive participation, foreground an awakening to extreme realities, propose a shift from or challenge to Aristotle's traditional concept of catharsis, and call into question our accepted interpretation of pain.
    [Show full text]
  • Ugly Rumours: a Mockumentary Beyond the Simulated Reality
    International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Studies Volume 4, Issue 11, 2017, PP 22-29 ISSN 2394-6288 (Print) & ISSN 2394-6296 (Online) Ugly Rumours: A Mockumentary beyond the Simulated Reality Kağan Kaya Faculty of Letters English Language and Literature, Cumhuriyet University, Turkey *Corresponding Author: Kağan Kaya, Faculty of Letters English Language and Literature, Cumhuriyet University, Turkey ABSTRACT Ugly Rumours was the name of a rock band which was co-founded by Tony Blair when he was a student at St John's College, Oxford. In the hands of two British dramatists, Howard Brenton and Tariq Ali, it transformed into a name of the satirical play against New Labour at the end of the last century. The play encapsulates the popular political struggle of former British leaders, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. However, this work aims at analysing some sociological messages of the play in which Brenton and Ali tell on media and reality in the frame of British politics and democracy. Through the analyses of this unfocussed local mock-epic, it precisely points out ideas reflecting the real which is manipulated for the sake of power in a democratic atmosphere. Thereof it takes some views on Simulation Theory of French philosopher, Jean Baudrillard as the basement of analyses. According to Baudrillard, our perception of things has become corrupted by a perception of reality that never existed. He believes that everything changes with the device of simulation. Hyper-reality puts an end to the real as referential by exalting it as model. (Baudrillard, 1983:21, 85) That is why, establishing a close relationship with the play, this work digs deeper into the play through the ‘Simulation Theory’ and analysing characters who are behind the unreal, tries to display the role of Brenton and Ali’s drama behind the fact.
    [Show full text]
  • Laughing out Young: Laughter in Evan Placey's Girls Like That And
    Miranda Revue pluridisciplinaire du monde anglophone / Multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal on the English- speaking world 19 | 2019 Rethinking Laughter in Contemporary Anglophone Theatre Laughing Out Young: Laughter in Evan Placey’s Girls Like That and Other Plays for Teenagers (2016) Claire Hélie Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/miranda/20064 DOI: 10.4000/miranda.20064 ISSN: 2108-6559 Publisher Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès Printed version Date of publication: 7 October 2019 Electronic reference Claire Hélie, “Laughing Out Young: Laughter in Evan Placey’s Girls Like That and Other Plays for Teenagers (2016)”, Miranda [Online], 19 | 2019, Online since 09 October 2019, connection on 16 February 2021. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/miranda/20064 ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/ miranda.20064 This text was automatically generated on 16 February 2021. Miranda is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Laughing Out Young: Laughter in Evan Placey’s Girls Like That and Other Plays... 1 Laughing Out Young: Laughter in Evan Placey’s Girls Like That and Other Plays for Teenagers (2016) Claire Hélie 1 Evan Placey1 is a Canadian-British playwright who writes for young audiences; but unlike playwrights such as Edward Bond, Dennis Kelly or Tim Crouch, he writes for young audiences only. Some of his plays target young children, like WiLd! (2016), the monologue of an 8-year-old boy with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), other young adults, like Consensual (2015), which explores the grey area between rape and consent. His favourite audience remain teenagers and four of the plays he wrote for them were collected in Girls Like That and Other Plays for Teenagers in 2016.
    [Show full text]
  • The Use of Brechtian Devices in Howard Brenton's Hitler
    Hacettepe University Graduate School of Social Sciences Department of English Language and Literature English Language and Literature THE USE OF BRECHTIAN DEVICES IN HOWARD BRENTON’S HITLER DANCES, MAGNIFICENCE AND THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN Ozan Günay AYGÜN Master’s Thesis Ankara, 2019 THE USE OF BRECHTIAN DEVICES IN HOWARD BRENTON’S HITLER DANCES, MAGNIFICENCE AND THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN Ozan Günay AYGÜN Hacettepe University Graduate School of Social Sciences Department of English Language and Literature English Language and Literature Master’s Thesis Ankara, 2019 In memory of my aunt Zehra Aygün, who always treated us as one of her own. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Dr. A. Deniz Bozer, for her patience, support and invaluable academic guidance. She was always understanding throughout the writing process of this thesis, and she encouraged me in times of stress and guided me with her wisdom. Without her, I would not be able to complete this thesis and I am most grateful and honored to have studied under her supervision. I am also indebted to the head of our department, Prof. Dr. Burçin Erol, for her patient guidance whenever I was unsure of how to proceed with my studies during my time as a student at Hacettepe University. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the distinguished members of the jury, Prof. Dr. Aytül Özüm, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şebnem Kaya, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sıla Şenlen Güvenç, Asst. Prof. Dr. İmren Yelmiş and Asst. Prof. Dr. F. Neslihan Ekmekçioğlu for their valuable feedback and critical comments which had an immense effect in the development of this thesis.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Download
    S K E N È Journal of Theatre and Drama Studies 5:2 2019 SKENÈ Journal of Theatre and Drama Studies Founded by Guido Avezzù, Silvia Bigliazzi, and Alessandro Serpieri Executive Editor Guido Avezzù. General Editors Guido Avezzù, Silvia Bigliazzi. Editorial Board Simona Brunetti, Francesco Lupi, Nicola Pasqualicchio, Susan Payne, Gherardo Ugolini. Managing Editor Francesco Lupi. Assistant Managing Editors Valentina Adami, Emanuel Stelzer, Roberta Zanoni. Books Reviews Editors Chiara Battisti, Sidia Fiorato Staff Francesco Dall’Olio, Bianca Del Villano, Marco Duranti, Carina Louise Fernandes, Maria Serena Marchesi, Antonietta Provenza, Savina Stevanato. Advisory Board Anna Maria Belardinelli, Anton Bierl, Enoch Brater, Jean-Christophe Cavallin, Richard Allen Cave, Rosy Colombo, Claudia Corti, Marco De Marinis, Tobias Döring, Pavel Drábek, Paul Edmondson, Keir Douglas Elam, Ewan Fernie, Patrick Finglass, Enrico Giaccherini, Mark Griffith, Daniela Guardamagna, Stephen Halliwell, Robert Henke, Pierre Judet de la Combe, Eric Nicholson, Guido Paduano, Franco Perrelli, Didier Plassard, Donna Shalev, Susanne Wofford. Copyright © 2019 SKENÈ Published in December 2019 All rights reserved. ISSN 2421-4353 No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher. SKENÈ Theatre and Drama Studies http://skenejournal.skeneproject.it [email protected] Dir. Resp. (aut. Trib. di Verona): Guido Avezzù P.O. Box 149 c/o Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE150) – Viale Col. Galliano, 51, 37138, Verona (I) Contents Manuela Giordano
    [Show full text]
  • Europe at the Crossroads
    Europe at the Crossroads Zinnie Harris’s How to Hold Your Breath Janine HAUTHAL Vrije Universiteit Brussel1 “Where Were All the Plays About Brexit?”2: Europe and/in British Theatre When, on the morning of the 24th of June 2016, it turned out that the majority of the British had voted for ‘Brexit’ in the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, theatre critic Dominic Cavendish wondered publicly on his twitter account why British theatre had failed to tackle this momentous decision proactively. However, as fellow critic Matt Trueman suggested in response: “We might not have seen Brexit: the Musical – and nor would we want to – but many playwrights have explored the social and political factors that fed into the result” (n. pag.). Indeed, since the 1990s, a number of British plays have been set in or concerned with Europe, and Eastern Europe in particular, as e.g. Caryl Churchill’s Mad Forest (1990), Tariq Ali and Howard Brenton’s Moscow Gold (1990), David Greig’s Europe (1994), Sarah Kane’s Blasted (1995), Timberlake Wertenbaker’s The Break of Day (1995) as well as David Edgar’s trilogy The Shape of the Table (1990), Pentecost (1994), and The Prisoner’s Dilemma (2001) demonstrate. The majority of these plays were premiered between 1990 and 1995, i.e. in the years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the disintegration of the ‘Eastern bloc’ and the collapse of communism. They are therefore frequently referred to as ‘post-wall plays’.3 Depicting 1 The research for this article was financed by the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO).
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    Notes Introduction 1. Current feminist theatre scholarship tends to use the term ‘heteronormative’. The predominant use of the term ‘heterosexist’ in this study draws directly from black lesbian feminist Audre Lorde’s notion of ‘Heterosexism [as] the belief in the inherent superiority of one pattern of loving and thereby its right to dominance’ (Lorde, 1984, p. 45). 2. See Diana Fuss, Essentially Speaking: Feminism, Nature and Difference (London: Routledge, 1989) for summaries and discussions of the essen- tialism/constructionism debates. 3. See, for example, Elaine Aston, An Introduction to Feminism and Theatre (London: Routledge, 1995); Elaine Aston, Feminist Views on the English Stage: Women Playwrights, 1990–2000 (Cambridge: CUP, 2003); Mary F. Brewer, Race, Sex and Gender in Contemporary Women’s Theatre: The Construction of ‘Woman’ (Brighton: Sussex Academic Press, 1999); Lizbeth Goodman, Contemporary Feminist Theatres: To Each Her Own (London: Routledge, 1993); and Gabriele Griffin Contemporary Black and Asian Women Playwrights in Britain (Cambridge: CUP, 2003). 4. See, for example, Susan Croft, ‘Black Women Playwrights in Britain’ in Trevor R. Griffiths and Margaret Llewellyn Jones, eds, British and Irish Women Dram- atists Since 1968 (Buckingham: OUP, 1993); Mary Karen Dahl, ‘Postcolonial British Theatre: Black Voices at the Center’ in J. Ellen Gainor, ed., Imperi- alism and Theatre: Essays on World Theatre, Drama and Performance (London: Routledge, 1995); Sandra Freeman, Putting Your Daughters on the Stage: Lesbian Theatre from
    [Show full text]
  • Biography Cast in Irony: Caveats, Stylization, and Indeterminacy in the Biographical History Plays of Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn, Written by Christopher M
    BIOGRAPHY CAST IN IRONY: CAVEATS, STYLIZATION, AND INDETERMINACY IN THE BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY PLAYS OF TOM STOPPARD AND MICHAEL FRAYN by CHRISTOPHER M. SHONKA B.A. Creighton University, 1997 M.F.A. Temple University, 2000 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Theatre 2010 This thesis entitled: Biography Cast in Irony: Caveats, Stylization, and Indeterminacy in the Biographical History Plays of Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn, written by Christopher M. Shonka, has been approved for the Department of Theatre Dr. Merrill Lessley Dr. James Symons Date The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we Find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards Of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. iii Shonka, Christopher M. (Ph.D. Theatre) Biography Cast in Irony: Caveats, Stylization, and Indeterminacy in the Biographical History Plays of Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn Thesis directed by Professor Merrill J. Lessley; Professor James Symons, second reader Abstract This study examines Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn‘s incorporation of epistemological themes related to the limits of historical knowledge within their recent biography-based plays. The primary works that are analyzed are Stoppard‘s The Invention of Love (1997) and The Coast of Utopia trilogy (2002), and Frayn‘s Copenhagen (1998), Democracy (2003), and Afterlife (2008). In these plays, caveats, or warnings, that illustrate sources of historical indeterminacy are combined with theatrical stylizations that overtly suggest the authors‘ processes of interpretation and revisionism through an ironic distancing.
    [Show full text]
  • Taha Nasir Salman Assist. Prof. Dr. Majeed Mohammed Midhin
    University of Anbar College of Education for Humanities Department of English The Freedom of Expression and the Dilemma of the Artist: A Thematic Study of Howard Barker’s ‘Scenes from an Execution’ By Taha Nasir Salman Supervised By Assist. Prof. Dr. Majeed Mohammed Midhin April, 2018 Dedication I dedicate this to my mother and father; who help me to advance in my life and in my career … Allah bless you and protect you. To my sister and brothers … I love you all and I ask Allah to safe and protect you. Everywhere you go, I wish you the success. To my lovely Noora … I ask Allah to protect you and I hope that one day we might be a good family. If this research is a success, I dedicate it everyone who taught me even a single letter, or simply a word … Acknowledgements I extremely acknowledge the help and the assistance of the Assist. Professor Dr. Majeed Mohammed Midhin for his ideas and thoughts in order to complete this research paper. Very special thanks to my teaching staff in the department of English, College Education for Humanities, at the University of Anbar. I also acknowledge my colleagues’ help and friends’ advice for their contribution to reach such this level. I hope Allah bless them all. Finally, everyone loves me … I love you, too. Contents Dedication Acknowledgement Introduction ................................................................................... 1 Chapter One 1.1 Howard Barker as an Influential British Playwright .............. 4 1.2 Barker’s Theatre Theory ...................................................... 6 Scenes from an Execution (1984): A Critical Study ................. 10 Conclusion ................................................................................... 15 Abstract: British dramatists in the 1980s found themselves in a struggle with the newly applied political and economic laws that change the whole atmosphere of the British culture as well as to the theatre.
    [Show full text]
  • History in the Age of Fracture
    Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2010 The Politics of Time in Recent English History Plays Jay M. Gipson-King Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVSERITY COLLEGE OF VISUAL ARTS, THEATRE, AND DANCE HISTORY IN THE AGE OF FRACTURE: THE POLITICS OF TIME IN RECENT ENGLISH HISTORY PLAYS By JAY M. GIPSON-KING A Dissertation submitted to the School of Theatre in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Fall Semester: 2010 The members of the committee approve the dissertation of Jay M. Gipson-King defended on October 27, 2010. Mary Karen Dahl Professor Directing Dissertation James O‘Rourke University Representative Natalya Baldyga Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my great appreciation to the vast number of people who made this dissertation possible. First and foremost, I would like to thank my committee chair, Mary Karen Dahl, for her guidance throughout this project and my graduate career; it is due to her that I developed my love of contemporary British theatre in the first place. I also thank committee member Natalya Baldyga, for sharing her love of the Futurists; University Representative James O‘Rourke, for his insightful reading of the manuscript and his outside perspective; former committee member Caroline Joan S. (―Kay‖) Picart, whose early feedback helped shape the structure the prospectus; and former committee member Amit Rai, who introduced me to affect theory.
    [Show full text]