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The Space Aesthetics of In-Yer-Face Theatre in Phyllis Nagy's The Strip

British theatre of the 1990s has witnessed the rise of a new angry young generation whose works have been labeled provocative, speculative, confrontational, sensational, shocking, taboo-breaking, brutal, bleak, gloomy and dark. These writers have a contemporary voice and pursue the aesthetics of 'In-yer-face' experiential theatre which launches rebellion against the classic well-made play, and against more recent literary traditions. Of those writers, contributing to (a)political drama in the 1990s, Phyllis Nagy emerged as one of the most influential figures, providing an experiential theatre with deeply shocking images. This paper is an attempt to explore the in-yer-face aesthetics in Nagy's The Strip by examining her manipulation of space and non-linear plot structures. Nagy creates isolated characters within oppressive worlds, and in the face of this seemingly undefeatable oppression, her characters share a bond that cannot be contained by traditional notions of space and time. Nagy bent the rules of physical space to give the audience a new and alienated perspective on traditional character relationships. In doing this, she makes it very difficult for an audience member to understand why the things on stage are happening. The Strip instead leaves audience members with a few clear impressions about life and society. Thus, this paper is an attempt to explore Phyllis Nagy's The Strip, and prove that she creates oppressive worlds onstage through unfamiliar, non-linear plot structures and that she connects the isolated characters through the distortion of onstage fictional space.