Staging Risk Society: A Cultural Sociological Reading of In- Yer-Face Theatre Author Khani, Somayeh Published 2017-08 Thesis Type Thesis (PhD Doctorate) School School of Hum, Lang & Soc Sc DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/1459 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/370900 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au Staging Risk Society: A Cultural Sociological Reading of In-Yer-Face Theatre Somayeh Khani BA, MA School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2017 Abstract The central purpose of this thesis is to explore the interconnections between historical, political, economic, and cultural context of a society and the creation of socio-cultural meaning through a specific theatrical style and genre. Known as In-Yer-Face (IYF) this genre of theatre became highly controversial and could be said to represent the zeitgeist of the 1990s in Britain, mainly through its reflection of post-Thatcherite concerns and anxieties relating to the increasingly precarious conditions of everyday life which dominated the British society at the time, particularly in the context of Britain’s youth. With regards to those anxieties, this study explores IYF theatre in light of Frank Furedi’s (1997, 2006) theories on culture of fear and Ulrich Beck (1992, 2001) and Anthony Giddens’ (1991, 1997) theories of individualization, risk society and late modern uncertainties. The thesis aims to align the forgoing sociological theories with the blatantly provocative, relentless, confrontational and aggressively shocking content of IYF theatre, the work of a group of young British playwrights that included Sarah Kane, Mark Ravenhill, and Anthony Neilson. In examining the texts of selected plays by these and other IYF playwrights, the thesis endeavours to understand how socio-economic circumstances can culminate in immense cultural shifts which in turn can alter the cultural products and artistic perspectives of a nation, in this case Britain during the early 1990s. To this end, the thesis is divided into two interconnected sections, the first of which begins by situating IYF in the broader tradition of avant-garde British theatre. This is followed by establishing the theoretical framework upon which I ground my own interpretation of IYF theatre as well as a brief examination of the socio-historical context of Britain in the 1990s. This first section is concluded by the study of IYF in alignment with other forms of cultural product, suggesting that the political and economic philosophy of IYF takes stylistic and methodological nourishment from punk music II and fashion of the 1970s. In doing so, IYF theatre is considered in a broader cultural trajectory of oppositional and polemical cultural practices. In this respect the similar historical, cultural and socio-economic state of affairs that resulted in the emergence of Punk and IYF is explored and analysed. In the second part of the thesis, three selected IYF play scripts are textually analysed to demonstrate how the exemplary artefacts of young playwrights of the 1990s are thematically representative of the socio-economic malaise dominating the society of the time. The overarching themes explored in these plays include, but are not limited to, the culture of escapism and therapy culture as a response to risk society and social insecurity, representation of the culture of fear within working class society and among working class subcultures such as skinheads, and dissociation of familial bonds and intimate relationships as a result of domination of post-modern interpretations of social and familial values. The thesis is drawn to a close by looking at the legacy of IYF in the context of contemporary British theatre, particularly investigating the state of today’s theatre in representing contemporary uncertainties, social insecurities and economic and political fears on stage. III Statement of Originality This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself. Somayeh Khani IV Dedications This thesis work is dedicated to my husband, Keivan, who has been a constant source of support and encouragement during the challenges of Ph.D. and life. I am truly thankful for having you in my life. This work is also dedicated to Mum and Dad, who have always loved me unconditionally and whose good examples have taught me to work hard for the things that I aspire to achieve. V Contents ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................................ II STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ..............................................................................................................................IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................................VIII CHAPTER ONE IN-YER-FACE THEATRE: AN INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 1 WHAT IS IN-YER-FACE? ...................................................................................................................................... 1 A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE CONTEXT ................................................................................................................. 6 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................................................ 8 CHAPTER BREAKDOWN ...................................................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER TWO FROM THE OLD AVANT-GARDE TO THE NEW PROVOCATIVE: IN-YER-FACE IN A BROADER THEATRICAL CONTEXT ......................................................................................................................... 17 AN OVERVIEW OF EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE ..................................................................................................... 18 Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty .......................................................................................................................... 23 Pinter’s Comedy of Menace .......................................................................................................................... 25 Barker’s Theatre of Catastrophe .................................................................................................................. 26 IYF, THE BRITISH AVANT-GARDE OF THE 1990S ............................................................................................... 28 HOW IS THE AVANT-GARDE OF THE 1990S PERCEIVED? .................................................................................... 37 CHAPTER THREE REVISITING RISK, UNCERTAINTY, AND CULTURE OF FEAR: A THEORETICAL OVERVIEW 57 RISK AND UNCERTAINTY IN THE TIME OF GLOBALIZATION ............................................................................... 58 CULTURE OF FEAR AND POLITICS OF FEAR ........................................................................................................ 65 INDIVIDUALIZATION AND ITS CIRCUMSTANCES.................................................................................................. 71 YOUNG GENERATION IN THE BRITISH SOCIETY OF THE 1990S ........................................................................... 76 CHAPTER FOUR ARTISTIC RESPONSES TO RISK AND UNCERTAINTY: MUSIC AND THEATRE ........................... 85 WHERE DID THE SHOCK COME FROM? .............................................................................................................. 88 POLITICAL OR APOLITICAL ................................................................................................................................. 94 IYF, BRITAIN’S PUNK THEATRE ........................................................................................................................ 99 CHAPTER FIVE RESEARCHING IN-YER-FACE: METHODS, ETHICS, AND PRINCIPALS ...................................... 117 SOCIOLOGY OF THEATRE ................................................................................................................................. 118 SECONDARY DATA SOURCES AND SOCIO-HISTORICAL RESEARCH .................................................................... 122 A SEMI-ETHNOGRAPHIC DATA GATHERING .................................................................................................... 127 DRAMATURGICAL/TEXTUAL ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................... 129 A TRIANGULATION OF METHODS ..................................................................................................................... 130 Thematic Analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 130 Comparative analysis .................................................................................................................................. 132 VI CHAPTER SIX AN ESCAPIST PRAGMATISM: REPRESENTATIONS OF ESCAPISM RHETORIC IN SOME EXPLICIT POLAROIDS ..........................................................................................................................