Performative counter-memory: A Foucaultian-based theory of dramatic discourse analysis for verbatim theatre

This dissertation examines the social resonance and therapeutic potential of verbatim theatrical productions that address the challenges facing returning United States military veterans of the Global War on Terror. Currently, conventional psychological and pharmacological treatments are falling short in meeting the needs of veterans re-entering civilian life. The Department of Veterans Affairs and other service organizations are now exploring non-traditional treatments, such as drama therapy and oral history projects, to complement existing therapeutic models. However, there is very little hard data by means of which to evaluate the overall effectiveness of these unconventional approaches. In response, I establish a critical framework for analyzing verbatim theatre that I call Performative Counter-memory. Rooted in the epistemological theories of Michel Foucault, Performative Counter-memory is a form of dramatic analysis that highlights discursive resistance to dominant social narratives. Rather than viewing verbatim theatre simply as a didactic form of non-fictional drama, Performative Counter-memory approaches it as a dialectical means of historical knowledge formation. This dissertation then conducts a Performative Counter-memory analysis of four veteran-oriented verbatim plays produced between 2007 and 2014.