“直面戏剧”:多重空间的暴力体验与现实映射

In-Yer-Face Theatre:Violence Experience and Reality Reflection in Multiple Spaces

20世纪90年代出现在英国剧坛的＂直面戏剧＂因其极端的舞台暴力呈现成为当代戏剧史上一道引人注目的文学风景。＂直面戏剧＂的创作者多为1970年前后出生的剧作家,且其作品呈现诸多共性,本文将＂直面戏剧＂经典作品置于特定历史框架之内进行解读,从物理、心理和伦理三重空间分析剧中的暴力书写与呈现,并指出＂直面戏剧＂不仅是一种体验式戏剧,剧作家们还使用极端的舞台手段映射了20世纪末的社会现实,引导观众正视现代社会的深层危机和人类生存状态的残酷本质。

In-yer-face Theatre, a unique literary phenomenon flourishing on the 1990s British stage, is well known for its usage of violence tactics. Most of its playwrights were born around the year 1970 and there are shared characteristics in their literary creation. This paper, by positing the playwrights and their works in the specific historical context, analyzes the staged violence in the most influential In-yer-face plays from the dimensions of physical, psychological and ethical spaces. The conclusion is drawn that In-yer- face Theatre is not only experiential, but also speculative. With extreme shock tactics, the plays not only represent the historical reality of the 1990s but also provoke the audience to confront and contemplate the hidden crisis in the commercial society and the cruelty of human existence.