The narrative becomes theatrical

Abstract

Theatre, especially in the West, has been approached from a mimetic (representational) perspective rather than a diegetic (narrative) perspective, and diegesis (narrative) has been left outside the boundaries of the art of theatre since Aristotle’s Poetics. In the process that has been going on since the 20th century, some searches to capture a live experience, especially in the stage-viewing area and actor-audience relations, began to focus on the issue of narrative in theatre. Brecht’s epic theatre theory, which includes the narrative in which he reopens the storytelling line and the periodic transformation of the narrative that is called back to the stage with Lehmann’s postdramatic conceptualization, radically took both theatre and performance beyond their classical definitions in theatre history. The main phenomenon that determines the characteristic of narrative in theatre lies somewhere beyond its relationship, in the fact that it destroys the aesthetic superiority of the dramatic structure and establishes an alternative, together with the economic and social conditions of the new age. This study aims to illustrate the course of the ‘narrative’ at important turning points such as the Ancient, Epic and Postdramatic periods through narrative strategies. Method: In this study, the method of grading the transfer from theory to practice for the use of narrative in theatre practices was taken as a methodological basis. Conclusion: It is seen that the art of our age, which defines life as an experience, replaces the narrative at the center. It seems that this experience stems from the popular trend of narrative stories in the application field of theatre, as well as the search for a new word, a new contact to be established with the audience.