postdramatic

Postdramatic refers to a mode of theatre and performance studies in which traditional dramatic elements—such as a clearly defined plot, central conflict, and character-driven action—are de-emphasized or reconfigured. The term was popularized by German theatre scholar Hans-Thies Lehmann in his 1999 book Postdramatic Theatre, where he argues that late 20th-century and contemporary performances move beyond the primacy of text and spoken dialogue to foreground other modalities of meaning, such as movement, image, sound, space, and audience encounter.

Key features often associated with postdramatic work include non-linear or fragmented structures, a focus on perception and embodiment, intermedial or interdisciplinary forms (dance, video, installation), and an emphasis on the performative event itself rather than a resolved narrative. Text may be present, but it is not necessarily the privileged engine of meaning; language may be used symbolically, ritually, or as sound. The relationship between performer and viewer becomes less about witnessing a fictional journey and more about co-creating meaning through sensation, memory, and interpretation. Collaboration across disciplines and site-specific or installation spaces are common, as is the use of documentary or verbatim elements.

Scholars debate the scope and boundaries of the term; some see postdramatic theatre as a descriptive umbrella for broad shifts in contemporary performance, while others critique it as too broad or elusive. Associated artists and productions include practitioners such as Pina Bausch, Heiner Goebbels, Romeo Castellucci, and Thomas Ostermeier, whose work is frequently cited in discussions of postdramatic practice.