A THEORITICAL INQUIRY INTO THE TEMINOLOGY OF THE SOLO PLAY, SOLO PERFORMANCE AND SOLO NARRATIVE

TEK KİŞİLİK OYUN, TEK KİŞİLİK PERFORMANS VE TEK KİŞİLİK ANLATININ TERMİNOLOJİSİ ÜZERİNE

Abstract

This study theoretically examines the conceptual framework and intersections of three key terms that are often conflated in theatre and performance studies: solo play, solo performance, and solo narrative. The primary aim is to clarify their terminological distinctions while exploring how, in contemporary practice, these forms have increasingly merged into a hybrid and interdisciplinary structure. The article first defines the solo play within the context of classical dramatic theatre, focusing on textual dependency, characterization, and staging conventions. It then analyzes the solo performance form that emerged in the 1960s through the lenses of bodily presence, improvisation, autobiographical narration, and political expression. Finally, the concept of solo narrative is discussed in relation to oral storytelling traditions and self-narrative dramaturgies. Comparative tables are provided to highlight structural and aesthetic differences among these forms, supported by examples such as Krapp’s Last Tape, A Madman’s Diary, Ben Anadolu, The Artist Is Present, Fires in the Mirror, and Maviydi Bisikletim. The findings reveal that, within the increasingly hybridized landscape of contemporary theatre, the boundaries between text, performance, and narration have become fluid. Thus, the notion of the “solo play” today encompasses a broader aesthetic field that integrates dramatic, performative, and narrative dimensions.