This book offers a captivating exploration of the evolving dynamics of language, dialogue and identity in modern theatre, highlighting the pioneering contributions of European playwrights Martin Crimp, Jon Fosse, Sarah Kane, Elfriede Jelinek and Roland Schimmelpfennig.
The study reveals the complex interplay between written text and theatrical performance, upending traditional perceptions of language and personal identity. It demonstrates how the work of these writers serves as a catalyst for actors, directors and designers, and encourages a deep-dive into their creative processes by interrogating their boundary-pushing works.
Covering the pivotal era of the 1990s and 2000s, the book considers the emergence of postdramatic theatre - in particular, the transition from conventional storylines and characters to avant-garde forms and narratives. It considers the role of language in crafting character identities and examines how contemporary textual approaches mirror and scrutinise the philosophical and aesthetic discussions of the late modern era.
Ultimately, this book navigates the intricacies of modern dramaturgy and lauds the transformative potential of theatre to captivate and innovate, challenging a wide readership to re-evaluate the significance of dialogue and identity in contemporary theatre.
By:
Mads Thygesen
Imprint: Methuen Drama
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 138mm,
ISBN: 9781350518179
ISBN 10: 1350518174
Series: Methuen Drama Engage
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 24 July 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1 Analysing the intersection of dialogue and subjectivity in the plays of Crimp, Kane, Jelinek, Fosse and Schimmelpfennig The aims of this book The method Enunciation Linguistics and Theatrical Semiotics: An Overview Utterance and enunciation: Who is speaking? Language and Subjectivity in Late Modernity (Case Study: Crimp’s When the Writer Kills Himself) In conclusion Chapter 2 Redefining Dramatic Writing with Martin Crimp’s Advice to Iraqi Women Introducing Deleuze’s Triadic Discursive Spaces The Collateral Space (Intertextuality: Crimp, Swift, Spock) The Correlative Space (close analysis of the utterances and images of the text) The Complementary Space (How the text emits criticism) Perspectives Chapter 3 Dialogue/End of Dialogue: From Drama to Postdramatic Theatre: Tracing the Genealogy of Writing, Subjectivity, and Form in Modern Theatre The Origins of Postdramatic Theatre: Key Theorists Text and Theatricality Subjectivity in the Lens of Postdramatic Theory Modern drama - from Crisis to Expansion Critique of Representation: From Brecht and Beckett to Müller and Jelinek Jelinek’s Textual Innovations Examining Subjectivity in Kane’s 4:48 Psychosis Reassessing Dramatic Forms: A Concluding Reflection Chapter 4 Jon Fosse and Luk Perceval – exploring temporal fluidity in the structure of a dream play Luk Perceval’s staging of Dream of Autumn (Traum im Herbst, Münchener Kammerspiele, 2001) Human time and Monumental time The intertextual World of Fosse The Poetics of Fosse and Perceval Chapter 5 Epic Reimagined: Schimmelpfennig and Gosch’s Auf der Greifswalder Strasse Navigating Between Realism and Fantasy: Schimmelpfennig’s Epic Return Jürgen Gosch’s Theatre of Emergence Open Theatricality Staging and theatrical enunciation The Complementary Space: Greifswalder Straße Schimmelpfennig’s Reflective Theatricality Chapter 6 Sarah Kane’s Blasted through Thomas Ostermeier’s Vision (“Zerbombt”, Schaubühne 2005) The Staging of Violence: An Introduction Dual Realities in ""Zerbombt"" The horrific Ostermeier’s realism Dissecting the Violence Scene Chapter 7 An absence of character On Jacob Schokking’s staging of subjectivity and emotions in Martin Crimp’s Fewer Emergencies Introduction: visual dramaturgy Crimp’s self-reflective style of writing Schokking’s Staging of Fewer Emergencies The Triptych From Private to Public Violence The False Happy Ending Conclusion Chapter 8 “My characters live only insofar as they speak” - An Examination of Language, Image, and Female Subjectivity in Elfriede Jelinek’s Shadow. Eurydice Says through the Lens of Katie Mitchell’s Live Cinema The Convergence of Theatre and Film Language and Identity in Jelinek’s Work Interpreting Jelinek through Mitchell’s Cinematic Vision The Visual and Narrative Staging of Shadows The Shift from Jelinek to Birch: Narrative Trajectories Conclusion Conclusion Synthesising the Textual Landscape Revisiting Dramatic Forms Subjectivity, Time, and Space Future perspectives Concluding Reflections Bibliography Index
Mads Thygesen is Associate Professor in dramaturgy at Aarhus University, Denmark. He is also Professor in Dramaturgy at Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway. He has written and published more than 25 book chapters and essays about contemporary theatre and playwriting.
