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Mathematics and Dramaturgy in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries

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Abstract

This chapter examines the role played by mathematics in the creation and conceptualization of theatrical work, from the mid-twentieth century to the present day. Examples are drawn from European and American theatre, in a comparative analysis which highlights recurrent mathematical models and concepts. The first two sections examine the use of combinatory models and algorithms, from theoretical theatre trees to the OuLiPo group’s creative constraints, Samuel Beckett’s “abstractive” poetics, and the “algorithmic” theatre developed by Annie Dorsen. The final section discusses ways in which mathematical concepts such as unpredictable determinism or number theory have been embodied on stage, and contrasts the metaphorical approach represented by the work of Tom Stoppard with Simon McBurney and Jean-François Peyret’s attempts to visualize the workings of a mathematical mind.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris, France

    Liliane Campos

  2. Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France

    Liliane Campos

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  1. Liliane Campos
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

    Robert Tubbs

  2. University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

    Alice Jenkins

  3. Department for English Literatures, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

    Nina Engelhardt

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Campos, L. (2021). Mathematics and Dramaturgy in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries. In: Tubbs, R., Jenkins, A., Engelhardt, N. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Literature and Mathematics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55478-1_14

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