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HOWARD BARKER'S NO END OF BLAME: FROM THEATRE OF CATASTROPHE TO HISTORIOGRAPHIC METADRAMA

Howard Barker's theatre has always been dealt with as a characteristically distinctive kind with respect to the playwright's formulation of his self-crafted dramatic genre 'Theatre of Catastrophe' whose main principles were listed in his two monumental books on drama and performance, Arguments for a Theatre and Death, the One and the Art of Theatre. In these treatises, Barker designates a new genre which differentiates itself from the contemporary mainstream tradition of Brechtian political drama, dominating British stages for decades, with its non-didactic, anti-cathartic outlook aiming to divert the audience into individual responses rather than a collective moral improvement. Barker's plays also stand apart from the mainstream drama in their concern with the tragic experience rather than the political and moral message with an elaborate, lyrical language and obscurity of meaning. However, this study aims to bring a new perspective to the understanding of Barker's drama, with specic examples from his famous play No End of Blame (1981) with an emphasis on the use of historical subject matter and the choice of characters from among artists. The play in question is interpreted within the context of the contemporary dramatic genre, 'historiographic metadrama', with an aim to reveal Barker's veiled political, moral and aesthetic criticism and, thus, to refute his claims that his 'Theatre of Catastrophe' is a politically, morally and aesthetically functionless and nondidactic kind of drama. This study concludes that Barker's drama has to be incorporated into the mainstream political theatre of his time despite its other distinctive thematic and technical qualities.

HOWARD BARKER'IN SUÇLAMANIN SONU YOK OYUNU: FELAKET TİYATROSUNDAN TARİHYAZIMSAL ÜSTTİYATROYA

Howard Barker'ın tiyatrosu, yazarın temel ilkelerini oyun yazımı ve sahnelenmesi konusundaki iki önemli kitabında - Arguments for a Theatre and Death, the One and the Art of Theatre - listelediği ve kendi yaratımı olan 'Felaket Tiyatrosu' açısından karakteristik bir tür olarak ele alınır. Bu eserlerde Barker, kendi oyunlarını İngiliz tiyatrosuna on yıllardır egemen olan çağdaş anaakım Brehtçi politik tiyatrodan ayıran, izleyenleri kolektif bir tepkiden ziyade didaktik ve kathartik olmayan bir bakış açısıyla bireysel çıkarımlara yönlendirmeyi amaçlayan yeni bir türün ana hatlarını çizer. Barker'ın oyunları aynı zamanda ana akım tiyatrodan kullanılan karmaşık ve şiirsel dil ile anlam belirsizliğinin yanı sıra siyasî ve ahlakî mesajdan ziyade trajik deneyime önem vermesi bakımından ayrı durmaktadır. Ancak bu çalışma, Barker'ın tarihi konuları kullanımını ve karakterlerini sanatçılar arasından seçmesini göz önünde bulundurarak, onun en ünlü oyunlarından Suçlamanın Sonu Yok (1981) üzerinden örneklerle yeni bir bakış açısı getirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Söz konusu oyun, Barker'ın üstü kapalı siyasî, ahlakî ve estetik kaygılarını ortaya koymak ve böylece Felaket Tiyatrosu'nun işlevsiz bir tür olduğuna dair iddiaları çürütmek amacıyla çağdaş bir dramatik tür olan tarihyazımsal üsttiyatro bağlamında yorumlanmaktadır. Bu çalışma ayrıca, Barker'ın tiyatrosunun, diğer özgün tematik ve teknik niteliklerine rağmen, zamanının anaakım politik tiyatrosuna dahil edilmesi gerektiği sonucuna varmaktadır.

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