Unlike some of the other post terms used in theatre studies post-dramatic is not as negative as others; it is not an attempt to move away or ignore the principles that come before it, but rather to change the focus.  It is aware of dramatic theatre/performance but doesn’t try to recreate it.  This is due to a changing point of view on how theatre should be studied.  As Liz Tomlin points out that drama and theatre studies came from ‘English Literature departments in 1960s’ (2009) meaning that the analysis comes from the script instead of looking at the performance.  As technology advanced then more and more could not be seen in just a script and the post-dramatic wanted to move any from script based performances and more to devised pieces.  This is not because they want to abolish dramatic theatre but to ‘to call theatre “postdramatic” involves subjecting the traditional relationship of theatre to drama to deconstruction’ (2006) as Karen Jürs-Munby puts it.

One of the main problems is determining when a piece of theatre or drama becomes post-dramatic.  Which is made all the more difficult as we also need to consider how theatre should be viewed.  Dan Rebellato claims that, ‘Theatrical representation as metaphorical; actors give performances that becomes metaphors for the characters, the stage becomes a metaphor for indeterminate imaginary worlds or determinate real ones.’ (2009)  This is an apt way of viewing theatre and performance and although it does still contain flaws, it seems to be one of the most complete ways of viewing it.  But the question remains, at what point does a show become post dramatic?

It is generally considered that it comes post-dramatic when the performance doesn’t rely on the script.  So other elements become more important, such as sound, lighting, movement as apposed too the words on the page.  To put it crudely, is the performance uses lighting for 78% of the performance then the script would only be used for 22% meaning that it would be post-dramatic, anything over the 50% thresh hold.  But if it still uses the original text and we still get a moment of catharsis at the end it could still be seen as dramatic.  In essence the lines a blurred and it becomes a matter of opinion and intent not a mathematical formula.

Hans-Thies Lehmann: Translated and introduced by Karen Jürs-Munby Postdramatic Theatre (Routledge: London, 2006)

Rebellato Dan, When We Talk of Horses Or, what do we see when we see a play, Taylor & Francis Ltd. (2009)

Tomlin Liz, ‘And their stories fell apart even as I was telling them’ Poststructuralist performance and the no-longer-dramatic text, Taylor & Francis Ltd. (2009)