Sarah Kane's BlastedBlasted has been labelled as one of the landmark plays of post-war British theatre, achieving its iconic status and, indeed, its notoriety, very quickly. Sarah Kane's suicide in 1999 consolidated a process of singling-out that had begun four years earlier with the 'national outrage' initiated by the media's scandalised response to the premiere of Blasted. The brutal content of the play resulted in much-quoted hostility from the critics. Academic attention to the play has begun a process of re-evaluation, debating the production and reception of the play and key issues including its status as a classic example of 'in-yer-face' drama. This guide provides a comprehensive critical introduction to Blasted, giving students an overview of the play's significance, a brief biography of Sarah Kane and a guide to socio-political background; a detailed analysis of the play's structure, style and characters; an analysis of key production issues and choices; an overview of key productions from the 1995 Royal Court premiere to today; and a chapter exploring possibilities and exercises for practical work on the play. An annotated guide to further reading highlights key secondary material including useful websites. |
Contents
| 1 | |
2 Analysis and Commentary | 18 |
3 Production History | 51 |
4 Workshopping the Play | 71 |
5 Conclusion | 86 |
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4.48 Psychosis actor-signers actors aesthetic afterlife Aleks Sierz atrocities audience baby Billington blackouts body bomb British Drama Buford Bulmer and Sealey Carney Caryl Churchill Cate’s chapter characters Contemporary Theatre Review context critic Culture David Greig David Hare David Toole described director dramatists Edward Bond encapsulated exercises experience expressed fucked Graeae Graham Saunders Guardian Helen Iball hotel room Howard Barker Ian and Cate Ian’s identifies images in-yer-face interview James Macdonald Jenny Sealey Joy Division Kane’s agent Kane’s plays Key Productions Politics laughing London Mark Ravenhill Mel Kenyon monologues observes ofits particular performance Phyllis Nagy play’s Plays and Key playwright premiere production history production of Blasted rape rehearsals relationship response Review of Blasted Royal Court Theatre Sarah Kane Sarah Kane’s Blasted says scene Schaubühne script sexual shift Shrubshall Soldier space stage directions Stephen Daldry suicide Thatcher theatrical Thomas Ostermeier Timberlake Wertenbaker tion tragic University Press violence workshop