Co-organized by PICT and Of Potters’ Demons

Welcome to NOT THEATRE, a communal process dedicated to the experiential redefinition of theatre. Intended as a response to the ubiquitous economic and technological forces constantly driving us to do, create, act, produce, share, and ultimately compete and sell more, NOT THEATRE is an opportunity to stop doing more theatre and simply read, write, and think theatre.

CYCLE#01 offers an exploration of shock, violence, and transgression in theatre. Taking its cues from the pandemic-aborted PICT course “The Theatre of Cruelty from Artaud to In-Yer-Face,” our journey starts in the 1990s, with the In-Yer-Face theatre works of Sarah Kane and Mark Ravenhill, and leads us back to the French theatre maker Antonin Artaud (1896-1948) and his writings on theatre and cruelty.

Each session of NOT THEATRE begins with a lecture/seminar part in which we discuss previously assigned readings. This is followed by an open-ended period devoted to our own writing and to creative, collaborative experimentation. The length of the cycle is indeterminate, and participants co-determine the workshop’s trajectory by suggesting new readings and areas for experimentation.

The modular format of NOT THEATRE makes it easily accessible to regular participants and one-off attendees alike.

Initial Sessions and Suggested Readings

Session #01: Sarah Kane, Blasted
Session #02: Mark Ravenhill, Shopping and F**king
Session #03: Antonin Artaud, “The Theatre and the Plague”
Session #04:Antonin Artaud, “The Theatre and Cruelty”
Session #05: Peter Brook, Peter Weiss, Marat/Sade
Session #06: Sarah Kane, 4.48 Psychosis

Reading

Session 1: Sarah Kane, Blasted
Session 2: Mark Ravenhill, Shopping and F**king
Session 3: Antonin Artaud, "The Theatre and the Plague"
Session 4: Antonin Artaud, "The Theatre and Cruelty"
Session 5: Peter Brook, Peter Weiss, Marat/Sade
Session 6: Sarah Kane, 4.48 Psychosis