Amadahn's Theatre Resources

Steven Berkoff (1937- )

Nationality:      English

Occupation:    Actorr/DDirectorr/ Playwright

Influences:      Artaud / Mime

Key Words:     Physical Theatre / Confrontational

Plays:                Metamorphosis / East  / Greek

Steven Berkoff’s productions rarely fail to produce some sort of emotional response in the audience.  This may range from a sense of excitement and wonder at the theatrical excellence to disgust at some of the language and subject matter.

Berkoff’s earlier plays (1968-1974) tended to be adaptations of stories by other authors, such as Franz Kafka (Metamorphosis / The Trial) and Edgar Allen Poe (The Fall of the House of_Usher).  These plays tend to have a more ominous atmosphere, and deal with such themes as isolation and paranoia, often in a metaphorical rather than a literal sense. From 1974 onwards, Berkoff created a series of more ‘confrontational’ plays.  The first of these, ‘East’, dealt with the adventures of Cockney thugs in the East End of London and drew on many of Berkoff’s own experiences.

There tends to be a particular dramatic style associated with Berkoff, which is usually seen as energetic, confrontational, and full of expletives.  Whilst this is certainly true of some of Berkoff’s plays (such as East, West, and Greek), not all of his works fit this description.  Berkoff’s plays tend to be creative, visually effective, and have a richness of language that is almost unique amongst contemporary dramatists.

Early in his career, Berkoff appeared in Stanley Kubrick’s film_of ‘A Clockwork Orange’, from the novel by Anthony Burgess.  Much of the dialogue in this_film is in an invented language called ‘Nadsat’, and this influenced Berkoff’s use of language in many of his later plays, as he worked to escape from the naturalistic tradition where ‘writers say exactly what they mean, but do not use language inventively’.  Berkoff’s use of language in many of his plays is certainly inventive.
 

Berkoff has also drawn on some of the ideas of Antonin Artaud in formulating his approach to theatre.  As a result, his productions are located firmly in the field of non-naturalism.  He also agrees with Artaud that the theatre should not be a safe place for the audience, but unlike Artaud he provides practical examples of how this may be accomplished.  Berkoff’s plays are dynamic and powerful theatre experiences very different from the sedate, psychological dramas of naturalistic theatre.