“And the rats eat my face. So what”: Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty in Sarah Kane's 'Cleansed'

This paper conducts a close of in-yer-face theatre (hereon IYFT) playwright Sarah Kane’s 'Cleansed' (1996) that edifies French theoretician Antonin Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty, originally conceptualized in his manifesto 'The Theatre and its Double' (1958). As such, I unpack the ways Artaud, in relation to Kane’s 'Cleansed' (1996) advocated for a theatre that sought to disrupt the spectator’s senses and emotions. Through a close reading of this dramatic text, I argue that the playwright utilizes theatrical techniques that edify Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty in 'Cleansed'. In addition, I analyze scenes in the play and provide textual evidence to validate the dramatic text indicative of Theatre of Cruelty. This is illustrated in the line, which is also the title of this paper “and the rats eat my face. So what” (Kane, 1999 in Greig, 2001:129), spoken by Rod who witnesses the physical torture of Carl. This, without a doubt, validates Artaud’s call for a theatre that confronts the spectator with the brutal reality[ies] of human existence. This significant scene along with other scenes of violence, and physical and mental suffering will illustrate how Kane subverts the theatrical conventions of British drama, thus mirroring Artaud’s desire to break down audience complacency. By analyzing these elements alongside the play's overall bleak portrayal of human cruelty, the paper will argue that 'Cleansed' (1999) edifies Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty in contemporary drama.