Charlie Van Carter
Postdramatic theatre has been described as a step forward in the theatre world, providing artists with opportunities to break boundaries, bend rules and develop a highly original piece of theatre (Lehmann 2006, 17). This essay will investigate the postdramatic theatre conventions of non-linear narrative, physicality, parataxis and collaboration, and will specifically examine the company Forced Entertainment. It will explore one of the company’s performances, Club of No Regrets, which premiered in 1993. This performance will be analysed specifically in relation to postdramatic theatre.
A theatre company that works within the postdramatic scope is Forced Entertainment. The company consists of six ensemble artists, who began working together in 1984 (Forced Entertainment 2011a). Tim Etchells, the artistic director of the company, explains how Forced Entertainment “wants to discover a way to stage questions rather than to stake claims" (Etchells 1999, 9). The company focuses on “produc[ing] witnesses rather than spectators”, as they feel this presents a greater opportunity to connect with the audience (Etchells 1999. 17). Forced Entertainment explores themes such as love and fragmentation. They examine sexuality, confessions, identity and obsession, ignoring performance and life boundaries and producing work that “pulses with the blood of different genres, aesthetic categories and political-philosophical dares” (Phelan in Etchells 1999, 9). A performance piece by the company that utilized these themes was Club of No Regrets.
Club of No Regrets (1993) is a performance created by Forced Entertainment. The postdramatic theatre practice that it employed can be invasive for audience members, which may explain why the show received different levels of engagement in different countries. The storyline revolves around the character of Helen X, a woman claiming to be lost in the woods, who demands repeated performances of selected scenes, such as ‘A Procedure Scene’, ‘A
A theatre company that works within the postdramatic scope is Forced Entertainment. The company consists of six ensemble artists, who began working together in 1984 (Forced Entertainment 2011a). Tim Etchells, the artistic director of the company, explains how Forced Entertainment “wants to discover a way to stage questions rather than to stake claims" (Etchells 1999, 9). The company focuses on “produc[ing] witnesses rather than spectators”, as they feel this presents a greater opportunity to connect with the audience (Etchells 1999. 17). Forced Entertainment explores themes such as love and fragmentation. They examine sexuality, confessions, identity and obsession, ignoring performance and life boundaries and producing work that “pulses with the blood of different genres, aesthetic categories and political-philosophical dares” (Phelan in Etchells 1999, 9). A performance piece by the company that utilized these themes was Club of No Regrets.
Club of No Regrets (1993) is a performance created by Forced Entertainment. The postdramatic theatre practice that it employed can be invasive for audience members, which may explain why the show received different levels of engagement in different countries. The storyline revolves around the character of Helen X, a woman claiming to be lost in the woods, who demands repeated performances of selected scenes, such as ‘A Procedure Scene’, ‘A