Theological dramatics and post-Christian drama: Hans Urs von Balthasar's dialogues with twentieth-century theatre

Abstract

This thesis examines Hans Urs von Balthasar's theological dialogues with twentieth-century theatre. It locates them in the context of his vision of theo-drama, showing that they are grounded in a Christological intuition of what drama is. An account of Balthasar's theodramatic hermeneutics introduces his theatrical vocabulary, a scheme of two inter-related triads and consequent themes, in which the ultimate term of dramatic reality is theological. His hermeneutics appropriates theatre practice as a theological resource, in a way by which not only the practitioners' theological status but also their dramatic potential is exposed. I offer a model of Balthasar's understanding of life as drama in three dimensions, the natural-human, the ecclesial- personal and the eschatological-final, arguing that he requires twentieth-century theatre to be post-Christian in as much as it is dramatic. I focus on dialogues with theatre directors and show how Balthasar uses his theological standard for drama to interpret directors as post-Christian and then, in dialogue with that interpretation, to find them either protesting or parodic in respect of Christian theodramatic reality. A particular study of Balthasar's dialogue with Peter Brook outlines, on Brook's terms, the relationship between life and drama and considers Brook's rhetorical use of Christian imagery, especially that of incarnation and grace. This highlights the extent to which Balthasar selectively appropriates aspects of Brook's work as post-Christian and makes that appropriation, and not Brook's own stance. Brook's situation as his dialogue partner. From such specific considerations, I question whether Balthasar's is a strategy for genuine dialogue. I argue that Balthasar considers dialogue itself as a dramatic phenomenon internally relative to God's dramatic activity in Christ and conclude that his account and practice of dialogue is only sustainable within this perspective.