Is Modern Drama a Mirror to Our Reified World? Unmasking Social Injustice on Stage

Soraya Malik in Culture & Society June 2025 • 4 min read.

"Explore how contemporary playwrights dissect the dehumanizing effects of modern society, turning theatre into a vital tool for social change and critical consciousness."

In an increasingly transactional world, where human connections often feel reduced to mere business interactions, modern drama emerges as a crucial mirror reflecting our reified reality. This article explores how contemporary playwrights and theatre practitioners are actively dissecting the dehumanizing effects of modern society, challenging audiences to recognize and resist the pervasive forces of reification.

Drawing insights from Theodor Adorno's poignant essay, 'Education after Auschwitz,' we delve into how theatre serves as a unique platform to analyze, critique, and ultimately counteract the reduction of human beings to commodities. From dissecting the economic structures that breed social and ethnic divisions to advocating for a shift towards critical autonomy and solidarity, the stage becomes a battleground for the reclamation of human consciousness.

Through an examination of various dramatic works, this article aims to uncover how modern drama fosters autonomy, responsibility, and awareness, driving movements towards more inclusive and solid communities. It's about more than just entertainment; it’s about igniting change, one play at a time.

The Theatrical Resistance: Reification Under the Spotlight

Surreal illustration symbolizing modern drama's confrontation with reification.

Reification, the process by which human relationships and actions are reduced to things or commodities, is a central theme in many contemporary plays. Playwrights often portray characters grappling with the consequences of living in a society where economic interests overshadow genuine human connection. These narratives reveal how easily individuals can become instruments of larger systems, losing sight of their autonomy and ethical responsibility.

Consider Henrik Ibsen's 'A Public Enemy', which highlights how community members are willing to jeopardize public health to protect their economic interests. Arthur Miller’s 'Death of a Salesman' portrays the tragic consequences when a person internalizes these values, seeing himself merely as a disposable commodity. Similarly, Brecht's works, such as 'Mother Courage', depict how characters make morally compromising decisions to survive in a war-torn, economically brutal world.

Key dramatic techniques used to highlight reification include:

Alienation Effects: Used to distance the audience and encourage critical reflection rather than emotional immersion.
Exaggerated Characterizations: Depicting characters as caricatures of their social roles.
Direct Address: Breaking the fourth wall to directly engage the audience in the issues.
Symbolic Imagery: Using objects and settings to represent broader social and economic forces.

More recent plays like Tim Loane's 'To be Sure' and Rosemary Jenkinson's 'Planet Belfast' reveal the cynical exploitation of conflict and trauma for personal gain. Dennis Kelly's 'The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas' uses stark alienation to show how individuals are dehumanized and commodified from childhood. These plays compel audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about the social structures that perpetuate inequality and erode human dignity. By laying bare these mechanisms, theatre creates a space for critical engagement and potential transformation.

A Manifesto for the Stage: Towards Authentic Solidarity

Ultimately, the power of modern drama lies in its ability to awaken critical consciousness and foster genuine solidarity. By confronting the reification of human relationships, theatre provides a space for audiences to reflect on their own complicity and consider alternative ways of being in the world. It challenges us to resist the coercive coldness of transactional relationships and strive for a society grounded in autonomy, responsibility, and unwavering solidarity. The stage becomes a platform for change, inspiring audiences to become active participants in the ongoing struggle for social justice.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1017/s0266464x16000233, Alternate LINK

Title: Reification And Modern Drama: An Analysis, A Critique, And A Manifesto

Subject: Visual Arts and Performing Arts

Journal: New Theatre Quarterly

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Authors: Eva Urban

Published: 2016-06-30

Everything You Need To Know

What is 'reification' as it is portrayed in modern drama, and what are some examples of plays that illustrate this concept?

Reification, as portrayed in modern drama, is the process where human relationships and actions are reduced to things or commodities. Playwrights use this theme to show how economic interests can overshadow genuine human connection, leading individuals to become instruments of larger systems, losing their autonomy and ethical responsibility. Examples include characters in works like 'A Public Enemy' who prioritize economic interests over public health, and 'Death of a Salesman,' where the protagonist sees himself merely as a disposable commodity.

What dramatic techniques are used to highlight reification on stage, and how do they compel audiences to confront uncomfortable truths?

Modern drama employs several key techniques to highlight reification. These include alienation effects, which distance the audience to encourage critical reflection; exaggerated characterizations, depicting characters as caricatures of their social roles; direct address, breaking the fourth wall to engage the audience directly; and symbolic imagery, using objects and settings to represent broader social and economic forces. Plays like 'The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas' use stark alienation to show how individuals are dehumanized from childhood.

How does modern drama draw from Theodor Adorno's 'Education after Auschwitz' to address the reduction of human beings to commodities?

Theodor Adorno's essay 'Education after Auschwitz' serves as a theoretical foundation, suggesting that after witnessing extreme dehumanization, education and art must critically examine societal structures that allow such atrocities. Modern drama, drawing from Adorno's insights, provides a platform to analyze, critique, and counteract the reduction of human beings to commodities, advocating for critical autonomy and solidarity to prevent similar dehumanization from occurring.

In what ways does modern drama foster autonomy, responsibility, and awareness to drive movements towards more inclusive communities?

Modern drama fosters autonomy, responsibility, and awareness by confronting the reification of human relationships, providing a space for audiences to reflect on their own complicity, and consider alternative ways of being in the world. It challenges the coldness of transactional relationships and encourages striving for a society grounded in unwavering solidarity. This fosters critical consciousness and inspires audiences to become active participants in the ongoing struggle for social justice. The plays 'To be Sure' and 'Planet Belfast' are examples.

Beyond directly addressing reification, how do other contemporary plays explore related themes that reveal the dehumanizing effects of modern society?

While some modern dramas directly address reification through character portrayals and plot, other contemporary plays explore related themes such as alienation, commodification of identity, and the impact of consumer culture on human relationships. By examining the psychological and emotional consequences of living in a society that often values material success over human connection, playwrights invite audiences to consider the broader implications of reification, even if it's not explicitly named. This also connects to Brecht's idea of the alienation effect, forcing the audience to think critically about the society they live in.