We May not Know Reality, but it Still Matters – A Functional Analysis of ‘Factual Elements’ in the Theatre

Abstract

Postmodernism has revolutionised our concept of Knowledge, establishing it firmly as a relative concept that is created and valid only in a specific discourse. As a result of this re-examination, our notion of Reality has been changed irrevocably. Although many concepts, such as the dichotomy of fact and fiction, continue to be used in everyday life, they are now highly contentious from a theoretical point of view. Describing the relationship between theatre and the world that surrounds it (our everyday ‘reality’) becomes increasingly difficult in such a context, particularly with regard to theatrical forms that are characterized by their extensive use of material borrowed from the world outside the play. Using Gladiator Games and Vincent in Brixton as examples, this article demonstrates that neither the return to theoretically outdated concepts nor the radical relativism of postmodernism can offer satisfactory interpretations of documentary and biographical theatre. As a solution to this dilemma it suggests a functional approach that overcomes the schism between modern and postmodern concepts. Inspired by the sociology of knowledge, it acknowledges that the perception of these plays is characterized by the idea of different degrees of reality or factuality without granting these notions the status of absolute ontological categories. A discussion that focuses on the similarities between these plays and discourses outside the theatre can then provide useful insights into their reception and production. At the same time it suggests that the sense of acceptable and unacceptable uses of such material can be maintained without evoking the ideas of historical accuracy and Truth.