A theatre of the Anthropocene: Depictions of Capitalocene in Caryl Churchill’s plays

Abstract

Caryl Churchill is one of Britain’s most prominent and talented contemporary playwrights. Since the 1960s, the author has published thirty plays dealing with a wide variety of subjects from political matters to gender issues and ecological problems. Amongst the many issues and social problems of Churchill’s dramatic oeuvre, natural concerns and environmental catastrophes stand out as the dramatist displays significant awareness towards issues concerning the destruction of nature. To that end, particular themes related to the Anthropocene and Capitalocene come forward in Churchill’s ecological plays. Briefly defined as the era of observable human impact on Earth, the Anthropocene was coined in 2000 and reformulated by scholars various times. The most notable reinterpretation of the Anthropocene resulted in the coining of the Capitalocene which argues that this epoch was largely shaped by the detrimental effects of capitalism on the human society and naturally, on Earth as a whole. This article’s main purpose is to expose specific depictions of the Capitalocene in Churchill’s Not not not not not enough oxygen and Far Away to reveal why and how these depictions are presented in the author’s plays. Therefore, the study demonstrates Churchill’s theatre as a theatre of the Anthropocene and reveals the dramatist’s critique of capitalism in order to raise awareness towards environmental issues in the British society and public opinion.