(Re)presenting drama: adaptation in postdramatic theatre

Abstract

This thesis examines three adaptations of dramatic texts for postdramatic performance by two experimental theatre companies: the Wooster Group’s L.S.D. (1984) and Brace Up! (1991), and La Fura dels Baus’ F@ust 3.0 (1998). Of particular significance to this study is the notion that these companies do not simply restage the texts they engage with in lieu of creating new and original material, nor do they only present a “version” of the texts in their own aesthetic style. Instead both companies self-consciously explore their personal relationship with dramatic text by making the processes of adapting and interrogating the material the theme of their performance. This is achieved by juxtaposing the text against a landscape of newer media and digital technologies which complicate the traditional forms of mimetic representation found in the purely dramatic text. As such, both the Wooster Group and La Fura dels Baus question the very notion of “representability”: that is both (a) the ability of the postdramatic to accommodate a mimetic form of representation in light of the integration of digital technologies into performance, and (b) the capability of the dramatic text as an older form of media to represent and reflect the highly mediated, technologically-driven contemporary moment.