by Nik Wakefield
This paper will reveal the power of the eleven signs of Postdramatic Theatre at work in bobrauschenbergamerica. Using the theoretical structure of Hans-Thies Lehmnn’s layout as well as the structure found in the text of the show, each section of this essay will begin with the Postdramatic sign being focused on. Then a quote from Lehmann about that sign will begin a discourse that analyses aspects or moments of the performance that exemplify that theoretical framework. To reflect the fragmentary nature of the performance, one point will end and another will begin.
During the process of creating the show Charles Mee kept avoiding the question as to how SITI should transition from one scene to the next. Finally, he told them to just go on to the next moment. Taking his advice, this paper will go from one sign of Postdramatic Theatre to the next, in numbered order. That simple structure will reveal the beauty of the theory and the performance. As a whole, analyzing bobrauschenbergamerica through the framework of Postdramatic Theatre’s eleven signs will reveal the significance of both the theory and the performance.
