Geography in theatre

lpasch1

Im researching geography as a theme in theatre, particularly this idea of a globalised aesthetic (this place could be anywhere..) -that a black box can become different places when using a minimal set

Does anyone know any plays with scenes involving
eg.
-Travelling between places
-Scenes that take place at Checkpoints?
-Differences between laws in different countries

(films can also be recommended)

Thanks
Lennart

chasmcb

I'm not sure whether you are specifically seeking plays that feature minimal sets and can be staged in black box type spaces or ones generally that feature the kind of elements you refer to but here are a couple that come to mind and may be of interest to you;

Sean O'Casey's WW1-themed drama The Silver Tassie divides its action between Dublin and the trenches of Flanders. Frank McGuinness's Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Toward the Somme also incoporates scenes set in both Ireland and the Western Front.

Timberlake Wertenbaker's New Anatomies is set in both Europe and Algiers.

Donal O'Kelly's Catalpa and The Cambria both feature sea voyages and The Wet Senor is about the experiences of a Spanish Armada survivor in 16th century Ireland as he tries to make his way to safety.

Neil LaBute's Autobahn comprises seven short plays all set within the confines of a motorcar.

Then there's Sam Shepherd's Geography of a Horse Dreamer which surely merits a mention just for having 'geography' in the title! : )



Film-wise, Billy Wilder's brilliant comedy One, Two, Three is set in Cold War Berlin and has a number of scenes around the checkpoint between East & West.

lpasch1

thanks great start will watch One, Two, Three later

LaBute's Autobahn is in my library so will look at that tomorrow
And The Wet Senor sounds interesting so i'll research that too

Anyone else?, its very helpful so if you have any suggestions dont hesitate to put them down
Thanks

chasmcb

lpasch1 wrote: »

thanks great start will watch One, Two, Three later

LaBute's Autobahn is in my library so will look at that tomorrow
And The Wet Senor sounds interesting so i'll research that too

Anyone else?, its very helpful so if you have any suggestions dont hesitate to put them down
Thanks

Ok, here are a few more

Richard Dormer's This Piece of Earth is set in Famine-era Ireland and features a man and wife trying to reach the Antrim coast to board a ship.

The title character in Brecht's Mother Courage follows the armies around Germany during the Thirty Years War.

The title character in Martin McDonagh's Cripple of Inishmaan goes from Aran Islands to Hollywood in search of fortune.

Scottish playwright David Greig's Europe is set in a railway station at an un-named border town. Actually, Greig has a few plays that might suit your purpose; Yellow Moon is about two Scottish teenagers who run away to the Highlands after one of them kills someone in a fight. Pyrenees is about a man found in a snowdrift whose memory is impaired but he thinks he is British; Damascus is about a man selling English textbooks in Syria; The American Pilot centres on a character who crashlands in an un-named foreign village in the midst of a guerilla war. One of his early plays is called Airport but I haven't read that or seen it reviewed -might be suitable for you though. His work often addresses cross-cultural & international themes so maybe you could have a scan through his back-catalogue?

Good luck!

lpasch1

Thanks, Just read a synopsis for David Greig's Europe
This is perfect... Im gonna get hold of the script asap

Anyone else feel free to add more