1.4.2. Drama

Abstract

Theatre is often defined by its ephemerality, its fundamental presence in the here and now. Can we circumvent performance’s immediacy and study theatre through the genetic documents of its creative process? How are drama drafts related to other literary drafts? Can we use the same methodological techniques to study drama and literary drafts? In this chapter, I will first suggest a new definition for drama drafts and discuss the theoretical domain of genetic criticism as an analytical tool. In the second part, I will explain the differences between dramatic and other literary drafts, and connect them to the challenges of genetic criticism as research methodology. In the third and final part, I will propose an alternative genetic research model on the basis of the directing book as drama draft.