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Pulp Ibsen

A Pain in the Asimov

For years, genre storytelling for the stage has been discounted and pushed to the wayside. It’s often deemed unable to compete with the “serious” storytelling capabilities of Realism. This series presents an overview of the rich history of genre theatre, which is broken down by category, and outlines the possibilities for Fantasy within the dramatic arts.

Author, playwright, and recognized godfather of Science fiction Arthur C. Clarke once wrote: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” By the transitive property of made up linguistics, this allows us for the first time to see clearly the possibility for substitution between the “magic” of theater and the “science” of theatre, which is precisely why this installment of Pulp Ibsen will be looking at Science fiction, another genre that has been traditionally pushed to the fringes of theatrical prestige.

While its history is just as rich as Fantasy, Science fiction’s codification as a genre in its own right is far more recent. Many ancient and early modern texts contain “science-fictional” elements like fantastic moon voyages, or the use of imagined advance technology. However, these stories predate the genre due to their reliance on reverie rather than actual scientific theories. When the Enlightenment brought the widespread dissemination of scientific thought to Europe, more stories began to explore the narrative possibilities of science. The Faust legend, famously dramatized by Christopher Marlowe, is one story that contains an early prototype for the "mad scientist." In fact, this legend was later adapted as Science fiction in the 1956 film Forbidden Planet.

vintage drawing of two performers on stage
Cover of Peakes’ Presumption, or the Fate of Frankenstein (1823).

Science fiction officially launched into orbit with the 1818 publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, one of the first modern narratives to play with the consequences of humankind’s mastery over the laws of existence. Influenced by Richard Brinsley Peake's Presumption, or the Fate of Frankenstein, Shelley’s story birthed hundreds of adaptations for the stage, including the National Theatre’s recent production directed by Danny Boyle. Several Science fiction plays in the Victorian era were adaptations, including Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Yet, it wasn’t until the period after World War I that original Science fiction appeared on the stage. Because of the devastation of The Great War, citizens and playwrights fully comprehended the dehumanizing effects increased automation could bring. American screenwriter and pulp novelist Perley Poore Sheehan wrote Efficiency in 1917, perhaps the oldest original Science fiction play, in which a mad German scientist transforms a fatally wounded soldier into a Cyborg to wage World War I. In addition, Karel Čapek’s Rossum’s Universal Robots still stands as one of the most famous Science fiction plays of all time, in which an uprising of automated workers occurs in an industrial factory. The 1921 production of Rossum was a smashing success in Prague, introducing the term “robot” to the world.

Throughout the 1920s and ’30s, several plays began to explore Sci-fi themes such as George Bernard Shaw’s Back to Methusaleh, the first play to deal with the concept of evolution, while Wings Over Europe by Robert Nichols and Maurice Browne was the first play to deal with atomic weapons. Respectively, famed Russian playwrights Vladimir Mayakovsky and Mikhail Bulgakov used the idea of time travel to expose the shortcomings of the Soviet bureaucracy in The Bedbug and Ivan Vasilievich.

With World War II on the forefront of the popular consciousness, other famous authors attempted drama with Sci-Fi themes. For instance, Noel Coward presented an alternate history of occupied Britain that Hitler won in Peace in our Time, while Arthur Koestler premiered Twilight Bar, in which two aliens give the inhabitants of a small island an ultimatum of achieving happiness within three days, or the destruction of Earth. Other notable plays include A Giant’s Strength by Upton Sinclair, which speculates the possibility of a futuristic World War III; and Egyptian Tawfik al-Hakim’s Voyage to Tomorrow, in which two convicted killers explore space in search of a second chance, as well as Gore Vidal’s Visit to a Small Planet, later filmed in 1960 and acclaimed as one of the most successful Science fiction plays ever staged.

Due to the popularity of Science fiction films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Star Wars franchise in later decades, established playwrights explored new frontiers through the Science fiction genre for more socially minded purposes. Such plays include Sam Shephard’s The Unseen Hand in which an alien fugitive seeks help from outlaws of the Old West, and Buero Vallejo’s The Basement Window, in which two scholars from the future explore the sociological effects of the Spanish Civil War.

Like the Rebel Alliance, we must fight the dangerously pervasive belief that the physical limitations of the stage cannot convincingly represent the imaginary worlds of Science fiction playwrights.

a man signing a book
Ray Bradbury signing next to Robert Bloch at World Fantasy Con III, 1977.

Science fiction onstage was not only limited to career playwrights though. Ray Bradbury, one of the most famous and prolific Sci-fi writers of all time, actually wrote many original plays and adaptations of his own work with the Fremont Centre Theatre in South Pasadena. The company presented a number of Bradbury productions including long-running stage adaptations of Fahrenheit 451, The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit, and Yestermorrows—the latter adapted from some of Bradbury’s short stories.

In the twenty-first century, more and more Science fiction plays appear every day with many contemporary playwrights trying their hands at imagining bold new vistas, such as Mac Rogers, author of the highly acclaimed Honeycomb Trilogy; and Qui Nguyen, Co-Artistic Director of Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company in New York, arguably the best-known geek theatre company in America. The genre is so popular in 2015 that entire theatre companies and festivals are dedicated to the creation of new Science fiction theatre including the Quantum Dragon Theatre Company in San Francisco, under the artistic direction of Sam Tillis, and Sci-Fest Los Angeles, which is now in its second year at the 99-seat Acme Comedy Theatre in Hollywood. Acme’s mission is “to produce an annual festival of new, beautifully realized, visually compelling sci-fi one acts featuring many well-known actors from your favorite sci-fi and fantasy franchises.”

a woman on stage in a dystopian costume
Hanna Cheek, center, in Sovereign, the final installment of Mac Rogers’s Honeycomb Trilogy at the Secret Theater in Queens, NY. Photo by Deborah Alexander.

Ultimately, the definition of Science fiction is a loose one, with many different sub-genres falling under its umbrella, including apocalyptic stories, superhero tales, space exploration adventures, or chronicles of alien invasion. However, this hasn’t stopped Science fiction theatre from seeing a renaissance in the revival of classic plays and in the minds of today’s most creative writers. Like the Rebel Alliance, we must fight the dangerously pervasive belief that the physical limitations of the stage cannot convincingly represent the imaginary worlds of Science fiction playwrights. As the theatre community of the future, we have the resources in our hands to help other writers live for tomorrow like never before. After all, it’s where we’ll all be spending the rest of our lives!

What Science fiction plays do you believe deserve their chance in the sun? Let’s chat in the comments below!

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For years, genre storytelling for the stage has been discounted and pushed to the wayside. It’s often deemed unable to compete with the “serious” storytelling capabilities of Realism. This series presents an overview of the rich history of genre theatre, which is broken down by category, and outlines the possibilities for Fantasy within the dramatic arts.

Pulp Ibsen

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Excellent essay!!

"What Science fiction plays do you believe deserve their chance in the sun? Let’s chat in the comments below!"

I've long thought that the original 1968 "Planet of the Apes" (written by Rod Serling, based on the book by Pierre Boulle) is one of the best plays (even though it is a screenplay) of all time, sci-fi or otherwise. (Some years ago I obtained a copy of the screenplay, which further cemented this opinion.)

Alas these days, with all of the endless low-quality action and special-effect laden sequels and reboots that have been produced since then, it seems most people don't remember (or perhaps have never even seen!) the original, with it's fantastic opening (pre-crash) monologue addressed to the humans of the future ("does man still make war against his fellow man, and let his brother's children starve?").

Nor do they remember that the first half hour or more of the movie (my favorite part, along with the final fifteen minutes) was basically just three characters talking, revealing (under duress from Taylor [Charlton Heston]) why they went on the mission. And how during this time we realize that Taylor despises humanity... or at least thinks he does. ("Somewhere in the universe there has to be something better than man.") [I'm doing all this from memory so the quotes might not be exact.]

But underneath his apparent contempt for humanity there is a hint of something far different ("there was a lot of love-making, but no love"), including his acknowledgement for his role in what society had become ("that's the world WE'D made" [emphasis added]) and as the (increasing intense!) story progresses his deeply-buried appreciation/cherishing of humanity gradually returns, to the point where near the end (in the cave) he even defends humanity to Dr. Zaius. ("I'm not saying they were like the people I knew back home, but they had the same frailties [heart condition]. And they were here first... and better than you." (And when asked what happened, Taylor postulated that it was probably some kind of natural disaster beyond their control.)

Think back for a minute to the Taylor we knew at the beginning of the movie: had he come across the statue then (instead of at the end) he probably would simply have shrugged his shoulders, said "figures", and continued on.

Instead, by the end of the movie he has come to love humanity so much (while continuing to acknowledge its many faults) that he overtly and passionately defends it (to Dr. Zaius) with all of his intellect and heart. And then when a short while later he comes across the statue he is so devastated that he collapses, and cries out in tremendous pain and anger at the realization that humanity destroyed itself.

Though his transformation comes too late to save humanity (if he had had this realization before leaving 1968 Earth he might have lead a movement that would have prevented the nuclear holocaust), I would argue that his soul was saved by his having this profound journey and realization before he died.

I wish more people would carefully watch the great movie, uncut and without commercials, from the opening monologue (just before the crash) to the end. But, ironically perhaps, in this day and age of multi-tasking and short attention spans probably the only (or best) way for that to happen is if it is produced as a play, where the focus is on the characters and dialog, not the special effects. For even though (sadly) most people seem to mostly remember the chase scenes and costumes, the vast majority of the [screen]play is simpley extremely well-written scenes of people talking.

With the tremendous rise in genetic engineering of crops (and even animals), and the general obsession with superficial technology, I often wonder if there is any way to prevent humanity from destroying itself in a biological or nuclear holocaust. Perhaps the best way to begin is with some live productions of this profound "play".

DISCLAIMER: This is all my own analysis; I have no idea if the authors or director would agree with me or not.

P.S. I am also a huge fan of "Forbidden Planet." (Don't get me started!!!)

haha Vince, we did a production of "The Fantasticks" a few years ago set after a global warming apocalypse when there was NO water. The song "soon it's gonna rain" had new meaning, and the line. "try to remember when grass was green and grain was yellow" inspired the concept production

Many thanks for this article and for all of the hyperlinks. The picture from Sovereign is much appreciated; just a nice example of what theater can look like: crisp and much to absorb.

I'd also suggest that sci-fi adaptations of the old chestnuts could re-imagine familiar songs and relationships. A few years back, I proposed this for a local staging of "Oklahoma:"

"It's 2050, and the survivors of the Great Warming have just landed! All hopes rest on establishing a Midwestern colony and transplanting their plain-spoken values to the barren, lunar landscape! A slow-motion barn dance! Curly and Laurey sing "People Will Say We're in Love" atop the shores of the Sea of Tranquility! Spacesuits for all, and cowboy hats tied down to helmets with baling wire!"

I was only half-kidding. It might be fun to put a big ol' question mark during the part about the wind sweeping anywhere. What new choreography might be possible? For how many years has space travel actually been occurring? Maybe JPL's California location will mean a ready supply of people interested in colonizing Mars. Our cups runneth over. What shall we do?