Speaker
Description
Since the beginning of civilisations, societies have experienced political conflicts and crises that manifested themselves in various destructive and violent forms such as wars, terrorism, bombings and mass shootings. Not surprisingly, crises that permeate every aspect of societies found themselves a place on stage and became a widely encountered theme, especially in contemporary drama. Written by contemporary political playwright David Greig, The Events (2013) is a play that draws inspiration from the far-right extremist Norway attacks in 2011. Traumatised survivor of the terrorist attack in the play, Claire, tries to uncover and rationalise the reason behind the traumatic and violent event she has been through, and her efforts invite the audience to examine the complexities of modern social dynamics and concepts such as multiculturalism, religion, race and violence. While depicting the aftermath of the trauma through the eyes of the survivor, Grieg uses a fragmented and non-linear narrative, as well as unstable and interchanging characterisation, time and setting, creating an intricate narrative structure for the audience to follow. Accordingly, from the perspective of literary trauma theory, it can be argued that the play does not provide a consistent and clear flow of events, because, as well as mirroring the fragmented memory and mental state of the survivor, it also alludes to the fragmentation and complexities of modern societies. In this sense, while constructing the play as a crisis narrative and involving the audience in a similar experience, Greig urges us to confront and question greater crises that lie much deeper.
| Keywords | contemporary drama, post-traumatic stress disorder, trauma narratives, violence |
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