The Eastern European Identity in Verbatim Theatre

- Presentation speakers
  - Sara Nalbandyan, Department of Cultural Studies, Yerevan State University, Armenia
Abstract:

The image of Eastern Europe clearly emerges in contemporary theatre, especially in verbatim plays and performances. Thus, Polish playwright Pawel Demirski in his documentary drama ‘Don’t Be Surprised If They Come To Burn Your House Down’ treats some social issues (the death of Polish workers in factory ruled by Italians) and through them touches upon the large-scale problems, such as social and political changes occurring in Eastern Europe from the Soviet Union collapse up today. Using verbatim technique as a main method of storytelling, he often combines it with materials from other sources such as newspapers, judicial documents etc. In this play he not only raises the question of Eastern European identity, but analyses the ways how it is perceived by the Western people.