The Influence of antonin artaud on the British stage and the dramatic works of Sarah Kane

THE INFLUENCE OF ANTONIN ARTAUD ON THE BRITISH STAGE AND THEDRAMATIC WORKS OF SARAH KANEAYSE GÜLSÜM KARAALIOGLUABSTRACTOne of the guiding spirits of the twentieth century experimental theatre is the visionaryFrench theorist Antonin Artaud who, by leaving prominent traces on the generations afterhim, altered the course of the modern theatre. The life and theories of him left an undeniableinfluence on the directors, theatre groups, and playwrights from all over the world. When wecome closer to the particular time we are living in, the influence of Artaud shows itself in therecent dramatic works of the British playwright Sarah Kane.After the introduction which constitutes the first part of this thesis, there comes the secondpart which involves the life and works of Artaud as a whole since it would be a fatal mistaketo separate his works from his life. His connection with the Surrealist movement, the AlfredJarry Theatre, the Theatre of Cruelty, his production of The Cenci, and his mystic journeysto both Mexico and Ireland are dealt with in all their fundamental details. His mostrepresentative work, The Theater and Its Double, is especially discussed as it contains mostof his outstanding perspectives on theatre.The third part of the thesis deals with the philosophy and theatre after Artaud. In the contextof philosophical studies, writings by Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Julia Kristeva, GillesDeleuze and Félix Guattari are given place because of the fact that they have a shared hero:Artaud. In the theatrical context, innumerable Artaud- inspired works are examined. Afterthese comes the main body of this chapter: The Artaud- influenced work of the Britishdirector Peter Brook, with the utmost emphasis placed on his production of The Marat/Sade.In the fourth part, the Artaudian theatre of Sarah Kane is dealt with by dwelling on hercomplete plays-Blasted, Phaedra?s Love, Cleansed, Crave, 4.48 Psychosis and Skin.In the fifth and last part, which is the conclusion, a general evaluatio n is made; the ideasdeduced from the study are summed up.Key Words: Antonin Artaud, Surrealism, Theatre of Cruelty, Sarah Kane