«No Metaphysics. Idiots!»: Postdramatic Theatre, Atheism, and Politics

Marcin Kościelniak

Jagiellonian University in Kraków (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8738-9116

Abstract

This article undertakes a reading of Tadeusz Różewicz’s open theatre, particularly The Interrupted Act and The Card Index, in accordance with the sequence defined in the subtitle: postdramatic theatre, atheism, and politics. Following a suggestion put forth by Mateusz Borowski and Małgorzata Sugiera that we look at the theatrical project underlying The Interrupted Act from the perspective of postdramatic theatre, the author points out that Hans-Thiers Lehmann’s conception of the postdramatic is based not only on aesthetic but also on political criteria, and the latter are as important and fundamental as the former. This makes it possible to pose the question about the epistemological and axiological criteria underlying the decay of dramatic form in Różewicz’s open theatre. Citing passages from Różewicz’s poetry and referring to interpretations by Ryszard Nycz and Aleksander Fiut, the author proposes that we see the political grounds of Różewicz’s postdramatic theatre in his atheism. Following this lead, the author views the central aesthetic categories of both postdramatic theatre and Różewicz’s open theatre, i.e. “the here and now,” reality in place of an illusion, as political gestures as well (rejection of metaphysics, materialism). In this light, the “brutal realism” proclaimed by Różewicz is as much about drawing the theatrical spectacle closer to performance as it is about the lack of transcendence. The author seizes upon the opinions expressed by Jan Błoński and Małgorzata Dziewulska who accused Różewicz of being too fond of decay, as it is precisely the most valuable quality of his creative work. Viewing Różewicz as an atheist, materialist, and realist, the author wants to reclaim the subversive potential of Różewicz’s theatre, which consists in its being radically apart from the dominant Romantic and Christian tradition of Polish theatre.

Keywords:

Tadeusz Różewicz, Polish theater, Polish drama, Postdramatic theater