Adaptation and the postdramatic: a study of Heiner Müller in non-European performance

• Author / Creator

  McLeod, Kimberley J K

• In his plays, Heiner Müller uses postdramatic techniques to challenge audiences. Adaptations of his work tend to either engage with these techniques or attempt to make his work more comprehensible for audiences.

  In this thesis, I will investigate examples of Müller adaptations from different geographic locations outside of Europe. Each example uses a play by Müller to explore contemporary political issues. I will first cover the trend of adapting Müller textually, and the problems inherent in this process. Then I will provide an in-depth analysis of El Periférico de Objetos’ Máquina Hamlet. This production, which is an Argentinean adaptation of Müller’s seminal play Hamletmachine, uses postdramatic techniques that place spectators at the forefront in the production of meaning. As a result, Máquina Hamlet is able to link Müller not only to the political history of Argentina, but also to the history of violence in the world.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Intermediality
  • Postdramatic
  • Adaptations
  • Máquina Hamlet
  • El Periférico de Objetos
  • Heiner Müller

• Graduation date

  Fall 2009

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R36P8N

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.