"Mathematics and Dramaturgy in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries"

Résumé En

This chapter examines the role played by mathematics in the creation and conceptualization of theatrical work, from the mid-twentieth century to the present day. Examples are drawn from European and American theatre, in a comparative analysis which highlights recurrent mathematical models and concepts. The first two sections examine the use of combinatory models and algorithms, from theoretical theatre trees to the OuLiPo group’s creative constraints, Samuel Beckett’s “abstractive” poetics, and the “algorithmic” theatre developed by Annie Dorsen. The final section discusses ways in which mathematical concepts such as unpredictable determinism or number theory have been embodied on stage, and contrasts the metaphorical approach represented by the work of Tom Stoppard with Simon McBurney and Jean-François Peyret’s attempts to visualize the workings of a mathematical mind.