ABSTRACT

The paradox of the postdramatic is connected, technologically and dramaturgically, to the theatre machine, which has its own life independent from the dramatic as such.

It is a paradox because one could argue that the postdramatic as rooted in the interactivity of spectators and actors, has a long history, like in an early modern melodrama. This kind of interaction can be seen in the way stage directors use interaction by including ambient means of expression like singing and lasers in a ‘hard style’. This creates a catchment area to be found in both-big scale and small-scale performances.