Performing Power: Violence as Fantasy and Spectacle in Mark O'Rowe's Made in China and Terminus

Abstract

Mark O'Rowe's work marks a shift in Irish theatrical form and practice, positing his stories in urban landscapes that defy modernist dramatic frames and established linguistic styles. Here, angels and demons roam the earth with lost human souls and, though mythical creatures and influences are frequently made manifest, the connection to the other world does not remove the presence of popular culture – karate movies and salty snacks in particular. But perhaps the most viscerally striking aspect of O'Rowe's dramaturgy stems from the sense of pain, isolation, and trauma his characters embody and enact. His dramatized communities are either in crisis or no longer visible, thereby situating the scope for human connection or reconnection as the prize sought from their struggle – while comedy is not lost, and the ‘skullduggerous’ tone so applauded in Howie the Rookie accompanies these later works alongside an evolved dramatic voice and sense of theatrical form. Miriam Haughton is currently in the second year of her doctoral work on postmodern Irish drama in the School of English, Drama, and Film at University College Dublin. Her research interests include drama studies, Irish studies, anthropology, and sociology.