An Examination of the Use and Production of Space in Brian Friel’s Translations (1980), Michel Tremblay’s Solemn Mass for a Full Moon in Summer (2009) and Emma Donoghue’s Room (2017)

Abstract

A play has various elements, many of which a skillful playwright can manipulate, the one constant element though in any written text or performance, is space. The analysis of space in drama is complex and revolves around what is visible to the audience and what is not. At the same time, space takes many forms whether architectural, metaphorical, virtual, psychological, geographical or theatrical. This paper analyses through Henri Lefebvre’s theory of space the use and production of space in three plays: Brian Friel’s Translations (1980); Michel Tremblay’s Solemn Mass for a Full Moon in Summer (2009) and Emma Donoghue’s Room (2017). These representative texts by key playwrights use and produce the notions of space in varied ways to critique social, racial and psychological concerns.