When a Play is not a Drama? A Postdramatic Study of Simon Stephens’ Carmen Disruption

نوع المستند : العلوم الانسانیة الأدبیة واللغات

المؤلف

قسم اللغة الانجليزية وادابها- كلية الاداب-جامعة كفر الشيخ

المستخلص

This paper explores the concept of postdramatic theatre through an analysis of Simon Stephens' play Carmen Disruption (2014). Traditionally, drama has been characterized by a linear narrative structure, well-defined characters, and a clear cause-and-effect progression. However, it can be assumed that this kind of theatre challenges these conventions by blurring the boundaries between different elements of performance, emphasizing sensory experiences, and questioning the dominance of plot-driven storytelling. By examining Carmen Disruption as a case study, this paper aims to shed light on how postdramatic techniques are employed to deconstruct and reconstruct the traditional dramaturgical framework. Drawing on Hans-Thies Lehmann’s postdramatic-theatre model (2006, 2016), the paper tackles Stephens' play in a way that reflects on how it is a form of theatre after drama. Moreover, it makes the audiences/readers rethink the way they read the plays. Thus, the paper’s main aim is to show how the English playwright Simon Stephens (1971 – …) applies the aspects and signs of postdramatic theatre to reflect fiction and reality in the play under consideration. The paper has reached three findings. First, Stephens uses postdramatic aspects to create a strong interaction and relationship between the actor(s) and the audience(s). Second, the irruption of the real creates audiences who are not able to decide whether the play is real or not. Third, Carmen Disruption embodies fiction and reality equally through monologues, media, opera and theatre, and musicality.

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