After Brecht: The Implicit Alienation of Annie Baker's Micro-naturalism in "The Flick"
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Date
2016-02
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Abstract
Furthering Bertolt Brecht's theory of audience alienation, this paper equivocates contemporary micro-naturalism on stage to the distancing effects of the Epic Theater, suggesting that Baker’s storytelling in "The Flick" is implicitly alienating, in both the theatrical and colloquial application of the word. The dominance of matrixed performance has taught contemporary American audiences to be comforted and lulled by imaginary circumstances and somewhat heightened depiction of character. Thus, Baker's distinctive unadorned use of the clumsiness of everyday speech (long silences included) within an imagined reality disrupts the viewer's passive spectatorship. This paper vitally furthers and broadens Brecht's influential theory, expanding its scope to reflect the contemporary theatrical landscape.
Description
The Arts: 2nd Place (The Ohio State University Edward F. Hayes Graduate Research Forum)
Keywords
Theatre, Naturalism, Alienation, Mimesis, Contemporary