Caryl Churchill – Form experimentation

London, 1982. The audience at the Royal Court Theatre murmurs with anticipation as they open their programs to an unusual page: a dinner menu and biographies of characters who span centuries. Soon the lights dim, and on stage an epic dinner party springs to life. Around a long, glittering table sit women from different times and places: there’s Isabella Bird, a Victorian era explorer in her proper jacket; Lady Nijo, a 13th-century Japanese courtesan-turned-nun, in a kimono; Pope Joan, the legendary female Pope of the 9th century, in full pontifical robes; Patient Griselda, the obedient wife from medieval folklore, in peasant garb; and others including a brash waitress who is actually a character from Chaucer. Presiding among them is Marlene, a sharp-suited 1980s career woman who has apparently invited  ...