239906 'In-Yer-Face': British Theatre of the 1990s (BS) (SoSe 2014)

Aleks Sierz, who coined the term ‘in-yer-face theatre’, aptly referred to it as “any drama that takes the audience by the scruff of the neck and shakes it until it gets the message. (…) Questioning moral norms, it affronts the ruling ideas of what can or should be shown onstage”. In this seminar we will look at the works of several young British playwrights from the 1990s. Their blunt and controversial depictions of taboo issues, such as rape, cannibalism, and incest, caused outrage, whereas its proponents praised this particular theatrical style for its experimental aesthetics, complex ethics and articulation of cultural critique. Besides selected pieces of literary criticism and theory, we will engage with plays by leading dramatists of the decade, including Sarah Kane, Mark Ravenhill and Anthony Neilson. Furthermore, students will be introduced to the dramatic precursors of in-yer-face theatre as well as the cultural scene and societal conflicts of 1990s’ Britain. Please note that attendance at the first meeting is mandatory. Only those students who attend the first meeting will be permitted to enrol on the course. A reader including all relevant texts will be provided.