Sarah Kane, Crave

Graham Saunders (University of Reading); Aleks Sierz (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of York), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1998

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

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Sarah Kane's fourth play was commissioned by Vicky Featherstone, Artistic Director (and subsequently director of

Crave

), of the new writing company Paines Plough. It was written partly in Britain and partly in the United States while Kane was working for New Dramatists, a New York new writing company.

Crave

is noteworthy in that it marked a shift in terms of formal structure. More of a tone poem than a conventional drama, the published playtext states: “

Crave

marks a departure in Sarah's work. Having pioneered a new theatre where brutality and action express an emotional narrative, here she deploys language like music. Rhythm and orchestration are as vital here as content to understanding and responding to the play.” Several critics have pointed out that the text has echoes of the…

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1697 words

Citation: Saunders, Graham, Aleks Sierz. "Crave". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 June 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=15074, accessed 26 November 2024.]

Sarah Kane, Crave

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