A Paradigm of Dramatic and Postdramatic Tragedy: Simon Stephens’s Motortown1

Yıl 2019, , 635 - 644, 01.08.2019

Mesut Günenç

https://doi.org/10.22559/folklor.955

Öz

Tragedy has been studied and reworked by theorists from ancient Greece through

Renaissance and into the modern age. Hans Thies Lehmann examines task of

tragedy in his last work Tragedy and Dramatic Theatre (2016). In his detailed

study, Lehmann classifies periods of tragedy such as predramatic, pure dramatic and

postdramatic. In the beginning of twenty first century dramatic and postdramatic

tragedies have been placed with the plays of Sarah Kane, Mark Ravenhill, and

Simon Stephens. Simon Stephens’s play Motortown (2006), written over four

days, represents signs of dramatic and postdramatic tragedies. The play consists

of eight scenes which have structural order with each other; however Simon

Stephens, choosing monologues, deconstructs hierarchical structure and diverges

from the dramatic text. Stage structure of the performance is deconstructed by the

explanation at the beginning of the play: “the play should be performed as far as

possible without decor”. At this point, Motortown puts forth a new approach to

tragedy in dramatic theatre, which conventionally depicts overt physical acts and

suffering on stage, and in postdramatic theatre which unconventionally depicts

overt non-hierarchical structure and irruption of the real. This paper considers how traits of dramatic and postdramatic theatre are determined and how aspects

of dramatic and postdramatic tragedy are experienced in Simon Stephens’s

contemporary performance.

Anahtar Kelimeler

tragedy, Simon Stephens

Kaynakça

• Aristotle (1965). The poetics, in classical literary criticism. (trans. P. Murray and T.S. Dorsch). Oxford: Penguin.
• Atkins, J.W.H. (1943). English literary criticism: the medieval phase. Cambridge: University Cambridge.
• Gardner, L. (2006). Review of Motortown, Royal court London stage. The Guardian.
• https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2006/apr/25/theatre. [Accessed 6 February 2018].
• Innes, C. (2011). Simon Stephens. (Eds. Martin Middeke & Peter Paul Schnierer), In The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary British playwrights. London: Methuen Drama, 445-465 Jeffery, S. (2003). UK’s biggest peace rally. The Guardian.
• https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/feb/15/politics.politicalnews. [Accessed 09 March 2018]. Leech, C. (2002). Tragedy. London: Routledge. Lehmann, H. T. (2006). Postdramatic theatre. London: Routledge.
• Lehmann, H. T. (2016). Tragedy and dramatic theatre. London: Routledge.
• Middeke, M. & Schnierer, P. P. (2011). Guide to contemporary British playwrights. London: Bloomsbury. Munby, K. J. (2006). Introduction. (trans. K. J. Munby) in Postdramatic theatre. London: Routledge.
• Nsdel, C. (2006). Musings on mays and Motortown. In whats on stage. http://www.whatsonstage.com/dl/page.php?page=greenroom&story=E8821145961557. [Accessed 18 January 2018].
• Reilly, J. H. (1994). An introduction to theatre. USA: Burgess International Group. Rosezweig, F. (2005). The star of redemption. (trans. B. E. Galli). Madison: University of Wisconsin.
• Sayın, G. (2016). Simon Stephens tiyatrosu: Dramatik metinden performans metnine. (Ed. D. Bozer), in Postdramatik tiyatro ve İngiliz tiyatrosu. İstanbul: Mitos Boyut.
• Sierz, A. (2011). Rewriting the Nation. British Theatre Today. London: Methuen Drama.
• Sierz, A. (2017). Dark times: British theatre after brexit. PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art. XXXIX (1): 3-11.
• Spencer, C. (2006). The horror of war comes home. The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ [Accessed 14 March 2018].
• Stephens, S. (2006). I wrote Motortown in four days. Royal Theatre website. http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/archive_article_detail.asp. [Accessed 15 March 2018].
• Stephens, S. (2009). Introduction. Plays: 2. One Minute. Country Music. Motortown. Pornography. Sea Wall. London: Methuen Drama.
• Szondi, P. (1987). Theory of modern drama. (trans. M. Hays), Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.
• Szondi, P. (2002). An Essay on tragic. (trans.P. Fleming), Stanford: Stanford University. Taylor, P. (2006). Motortown, Royal Court, London. Independent.
• http://www.independent.co.uk/artsentertainment/theatredance/reviews/motortown-royal-courtlondon- 6102553.html. [Accessed 25 December 2017].
• Waal de, A. (2017). Theatre on terror: subject positions in british drama. Boston, MA: De Gruyter.