نشریه تئاتر
سال یازدهم شماره 98 (پاییز 1403)

This paper offers an interdisciplinary analysis of Tony Kushner’s play, A Bright Room Called Day, through the lens of Gilles Deleuze’s interpretation of Immanuel Kant’s philosophy. This study investigates how postmodern poetics are shaped by Kant’s first principle –“the time is out of joint”– and his fourth principle – “the disorder of all senses” –. Together, these concepts generate what can be termed The Drama of Disordered Relationships, a framework that reveals the complexities of human interactions in the context of political turmoil. The analysis focuses on two primary dimensions within Kushner’s work. First, it examines the characters’ attempt to establish a common ground or “Cardo” that is subjugated to the ideals of communism. However, this endeavor is ultimately portrayed as doomed to failure due to the unhinged nature of time, which disrupts any possibility of a cohesive narrative or shared understanding among the characters. Second, the paper explores how this disjointed temporal framework and the resulting disorder of the senses disturb the artistic and literary relationships among events in the play. This disruption challenges the organic unity typically found in classical drama, emphasizing a departure from traditional narrative structures and highlighting the fragmented experience of reality. As a result, the interplay between unhinged time and chaotic relationships complicates or in other words, makes representation of art impossible within Kushner’s work. The findings suggest that the principles derived from Kantian philosophy not only illuminate the thematic concerns of A Bright Room Called Day but also reflect broader anxieties regarding meaning, coherence, and artistic representation in contemporary literature. This study contributes to understanding how philosophical frameworks can inform literary analysis, particularly in works that grapple with complex socio-political themes and the challenges posed by modernity.

Psychoanalytic examinations of narrative works, particularly in dramatic literature, often concentrate on dissecting the actions of the characters. Yet, these analyses frequently linger on the surface level of characters' expressions and behaviors. However, delving into the hidden motivations, especially the suppressed impulses of these characters -a focal point in Freudian psychoanalysis-,can elucidate the underlying causes of their remarks and behaviors. Exploring the cause and effect can unravel its dramatic function within the dramatic work. This scrutiny holds particular significance in character-driven works as opposed to those centered on events. Martin McDonagh, the Irish playwright, intricately depicts the emergence of emotions and instincts of characters perceiving their inner state. Living in a critical historical juncture, these characters stand against a plethora of failures, shortcomings, and defeats. Therefore, looking into McDonagh's characters can prove fruitful in understanding their internal dramatic functions. This study examines, through the lens of Sigmund and Anna Freud's theories on psychological defense mechanisms, how McDonagh's characters interact with their internal destructive impulses in three plays: 'The Beauty Queen of Leenane,' 'A Skull in Connemara,' and 'The Lonesome West.' This research seeks to answer the question of what is the function of defense mechanisms in McDonough's works and how does the author depict the traditional Irish society in the form of characterization of his characters? The research findings underscore the efficacy of understanding defense mechanisms in the creation and analysis of dramatic characters. Likewise, in the examined plays, applying defense mechanisms, primarily denial, projection, and justification; society is portrayed as a structure masking problems rather than resolving them. Consequently, there appears to be no hope for redemption. Furthermore, underlying the mechanism of internalization by cyclic representation of traditional Irish society, McDonagh encircles both future generations and the preceding ones. In this way, we conclude that MacDonagh has a desperate view of saving traditional Irish society in his first trilogy.

The narrative of Agamemnon’s return along with Cassandra after ten years of war in the land of Troy to Argos, and subsequently their sacrifice at the hands of Clytemnestra with the assistance of Aegisthus, forms the basis of Aeschylus’s tragedy “Agamemnon”. Other retellings of this ancient mythical tale predating Aeschylus’s play are available today. In this article, we have attempted first to examine ancient retellings and then, in a comparative study, explore the innovations that Aeschylus introduced in his narrative of the mythical tale. We have analyzed which elements he emphasizes and what interpretation he provides. Through this approach, we aim to shed light on Aeschylus’s dramatic adaptation strategy for bringing one of the most crucial episodes in the saga of the Argive royal family to the stage. The previous sources that we have examined regarding this mythical tale include the book “Odyssey”, the book “The Return of the Greeks” (Nostoi), lyrics, and ancient images. Then we have approached Aeschylus’s adaptation from four distinct angles: symbolic significance of the royal palace (Aeschylus uses the term “daimon” (a divine spirit or force) to convey the palace’s deeper meaning); Aegisthus’s absence (Aegisthus is conspicuously absent from a significant portion of the play); Clytemnestra’s complex portrait (Aeschylus paints a unique picture of Clytemnestra -a powerful, ambitious, vengeful, and envious woman); broader mythical context (Aeschylus provides a framework for the audience to understand the play’s events within the broader context of the return of Greek leaders from Troy after their momentous victory). Consequently, we have explored how Aeschylus transforms an ancient tale into a multifaceted creation, weaving elements of cultural and mythological context of ancient Greece together. He also introduces fresh meanings that were absent in previous retellings. Aeschylus transcends the simplistic old narratives generating political and social implications. Moreover, he brings to life one of the most memorable characters in the surviving tragedies of ancient Greece.

The existential psychoanalytic model addresses existential concerns and issues, particularly the existence/non-existence dichotomy with an emphasis on the issue of death.  The way of responding to these existential issues determines the actions, relationships, narratives, currents, and schemas of human life. Narratives, dramatic elements, and story patterns stem from existential concepts that can be examined within the framework of existential psychoanalytic reading. The play "Decline" suggests to be an existentialist drama throughout its narrative structure and story elements. This article attempts to analyze the relationships of the characters in the play, the plot, the events and main occurrences of the play, and the actions and reactions of the characters, with particular attention to existential philosophy, especially existential psychoanalytic theories and Irvin D. Yalom's existentialist approach. The main question here is how the fundamental existential conflicts and the issue of existence/non-existence as a metanarrative, main event, and reality in Akbar Radi’s "Decline"; influence the relationships between the characters, their acts and reacts, the conflict, the plot and other elements. Assumptively, existential manifestations and the way of reacting to existential issues and crises are the fundamental narrative in Akbar Radi's plays, as he is considered the father of modern Iranian playwriting. This narrative pattern can be traced in the story situations, dramatic settings, character relationships, actions and reactions of the dramatic society, and the main conflicts of the play "Decline". Therefore, this article, based on library resources, first discusses the function of existentialist topics and the principles and perspectives of existentialism in human relationships, actions, reactions, conflicts, and fundamental crises of human life. Then, it employs a descriptive-analytical method to interpret the existential reading of the play "Decline".

Reviewing Iranian dramas shows a constant effort to create new narratives, but clearly, the results do not completely fulfill their goals due to two major reasons: First, they provide examples which are not within our literary and cultural boundaries (which, at best, has no achievement other than repeating the same western narrative forms and is not very compatible with the taste of Iranians); And more importantly, they try to choose a so-called non-native theoretical framework and apply it to Iranian storytelling, even though the Iranian mindset is completely different from Western epistemology in analyzing and explaining an artwork. Regarding this problem, the current research intends to take a step toward presenting a new strategy for creating an Iranian narrative or drama. Adopting a descriptive-analytical method, we will first build a theoretical framework based on the opinions of one of the prominent local experts, Qasim Hasheminejad, who has made a special effort to formulate an Iranian analytical apparatus concerning both fields of fiction and drama. And secondly, regarding examples, our basic assumptions will be "mystical stories". The findings of the research show that by looking at the essence of Persian literature, its characteristics, and manifestations; it is possible to reach the depth of its tremendous capacities that are evident in the analysis and examples. An art whose inherent distinctive, compared to the characteristics of Western art, makes it unseemly and unpleasant to cover it with a non-Iranian cloak. Apart from its unitary nature and its inner purpose in knowing the eternal beloved; mysticism has expressive, narrative, and even dramatic qualities that can be used as a way of creating new narratives (based on Iranian taste), leading to create “national drama”. A native self-originated drama that is not a follower or copy of any other culture. Among the dramatic qualities in these types of stories, we can mention the course of actions used in the opening, narrative structure, state of the situation, dialogue processing, brevity, theme expression patterns, documentation, believability, and finally the explosive aspect of the ending.

A significant portion of an actor’s impact on the audience is conveyed through facial expressions. By observing the actor’s face, the audience perceives the emotions, desires, and intentions of the character. Makeup plays a crucial role in enhancing the quality of this emotional transmission and strengthens the non-verbal interactions between the audience and the performance. This study aims to describe, analyze, and interpret the metalinguistic elements involved in the art of makeup. It examines how makeup techniques and symbolic effects of colors work in face painting and character creation in theater. Additionally, it analyzes the characteristics of makeup and the psychology of colors in character development while interpreting the outcomes of these applications. The hypothesis of this applied-qualitative research is that makeup and the symbolic effects of colors, as one of the performance elements (alongside with lighting, staging, sound, and costumes), have a direct impact on the expression and transmission of theatrical concepts. Face painting has undergone significant changes with the emergence of various artistic schools in performing arts and today it focuses on creating and developing characters by utilizing color psychology.The findings reveal that makeup enhances the visual impact of theatrical performances on the audience while materializing the director’s creative vision in a tangible form. By utilizing the diverse possibilities that makeup offers; the transmission of emotions, desires, and moral or behavioral traits of the character will be facilitated. Moreover, makeup plays a pivotal role in increasing the believability of characters for the audience and maintaining their engagement with the performance. Over time, makeup has seen significant advancements and innovations. This achievement has made possible through the creativity of the makeup artist, who employs symbolic color schemes and facial modifications to amplify the actor’s impact on the audience.