Hyperdrama as a new kind of dramatic texts

Abstract EN

The purpose of this research is to examine a new form of theater known as ‘hyperdrama’.

Unlike traditional dramas, hyperdramas are written and produced on a computer using hypertext, the digital language of the Internet.

The research examines how the employment of hypertext technology in writing plays affects the concept of drama by modifying the method in which the dramatic text is written, and adding new rather unfamiliar features to a dramatic text.

The dramas under study in the research are The Bride of Edgefield (1994), The Last Song of Violetta Parra (1996), and The Seagull Hyperdrama (2004).

The three dramas are written by the American writer Charles Deemer, who is a pioneer in the field of hyperdrama.

Like all works written in hypertext, the dramas are created on a computer device and can be read on one as well.

The action in the first two plays revolves around themes of greed, tom family relations, theft, and murder.

While the last play The Seagull Hyperdrama is Deemer's biggest hyperdrama, where he adopts Anton Chekov's famous masterpiece The Seagull (1896) and adds many scenes to the original text.

Like most works of hyperdrama, the three works are situated on the Internet and employ technology to create a new reading experience to drama.

In examining hyperdrama, the study uses poststructuralist as well as postmodern theories.

The objective of the research is to show the extent of the effect of digital technology on theater.

The research would prove that the employment of computers in producing dramatic works might be an innovative addition which expands the concept of theater and expose its capabilities in an age dominated by digital technology.

* The Department of English Language and Literature - Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University