The echoes of the wound on stage: The voice of post-war trauma reflected in In-Yer-Face Theatre and Butoh

This study explores how trauma, both personal and collective, is expressed through two radically different theatre traditions: In-Yer-Face Theatre from the UK and Butoh from Japan. Grounded in the trauma theories of Freud and Cathy Caruth, the research investigates how literature and performance function as mediums through which the voice of trauma is articulated. Following the devastating aftermath of World War II and the nuclear bombings in Japan, societies across the globe were left grappling with wounds too deep to articulate through conventional means. In-Yer-Face Theatre, characterized by graphic violence, verbal aggression, and emotional intensity, confronts the audience directly, breaking traditional theatrical boundaries to provoke action. In contrast, Butoh relies on silence, grotesque physical expression, and symbolic imagery to evoke a more introspective and embodied experience of trauma. Through a comparative analysis of Sarah Kane's Blasted and Kazuo Ohno's My Mother, this thesis examines how each form translates trauma into performance, highlighting the cultural distinctions in their approaches. While both traditions aim to disturb and awaken their audiences, their methods, verbal vs. physical, confrontational vs. contemplative, reflect differing national histories, aesthetic values, and understandings of suffering. This research not only adds to the individual scholarship on each theatre form but also offers a unique cross-cultural perspective on the performative expression of trauma. Key Words: Trauma Theory, In-Yer-Face Theatre, Butoh, Collective Trauma, Performance Studies