Landscapes of the mind: postdramatic features in Brian Friel's Molly Sweeney

Abstract

The contemporary debate regarding the new languages of the stage has developed into multiple directions. In Molly Sweeney (1994), Brian Friel rejects dramatic progression and interpersonal dialogue to privilege direct interaction with the audience that intensifies the production of presence. He combines conventional and postdramatic features in his presentation of alternating monologues by three speakers - Molly, Frank and Mr. Rice - whose solo voices create an allegory on the unwillingness of communication in our time. The emerging landscapes of the mind force the audience to deal with the indeterminacy of meaning, extending representation beyond dramatic action in the theatre.