How have David Greig’s processes influenced his experimentation with narrative and structure, in Being Norwegian (2003) and The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (2011)?

Abstract

Looking at Being Norwegian (2003) and The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (2011), this study investigates the power of David Greig’s processes in his experimentation with dramatic form. By comparing and contrasting the resulting structural and narrative devices at work within each play, this aims to demonstrate how far Greig has offered a reinvention of tradition within his own dramaturgy, while recalling the academic trends of theatre as a whole.

Considering that emphasis is largely placed on the conventions within plays, this study aims to take a contrary approach, and instead investigate how the work created at two different points in his career have developed out of his own idiosyncratic processes. This, it is argued, is what enables Greig to create diverse and stimulating plays. It is divided into relevant areas of study, to assess how far these departures and interactions with postmodern, poststructural or post-dramatic frameworks within the academy contribute to the idea of innovation. It is suggested that the power of the imagination, and of the subconscious, are key in the creation of exciting and innovative narratives, while the strength of Greig’s language and keen rhythmic awareness is what has pushed his work towards a more collaborative and open form. Moreover, by investigating his key influences and impulses, this offers an insight to the development of his own practice, while questioning how far it has been informed by institutional ideas. Finally, the significance in the use of dramatic form in this way reveals that work is continually impacted by personal curiosity and experience. By looking back at what has gone before, this offers room for valuable suggestions for the future of twenty-first century theatre.