This study examines Sarah Kane’s dramatic oeuvre through the
lens of trauma theory, arguing that her plays construct a theatre of
trauma in which shock, violence, and emotional intensity serve as
instruments of cognitive transformation for the spectator. By
dismantling traditional theatrical forms and narrative coherence,
Kane redefines the relationship between performer and audience,
shifting the latter from passive observers to active participants in
trauma. Her dramaturgy functions as a mirror of postmodern
anxieties—fragmented identities, the collapse of moral systems,
and the failure of human communication—while simultaneously
seeking an ethical awakening through emotional confrontation.