Integrating Tragedy and Trauma: Thy Word Be Done as a Model of Post-Traumatic Dramaturgy

Abstract

This thesis presents an original post-traumatic play, Thy Word Be Done, developed through a research-creation methodology that investigates how theatre can represent experiences of war trauma and pathways of psychological and spiritual recovery. The project draws on diverse Ukrainian documentary sources—including real-time combat video recordings, interviews with injured Ukrainian soldiers, medical professionals, and civilians, as well as contemporary media accounts—to construct a text that interweaves authentic verbatim language with original, poetically crafted writing within a merged dramatic structure. The fabric of the play draws on four sources: classical tragedy, mystery plays, the hero’s journey, and psychological models of trauma recovery. By placing these structures side by side, the work reflects both the shattering effects of trauma and the possibility for a person to recover and find a new way forward. This thesis argues that the contemporary post-traumatic play, by integrating classical dramatic narrative models with functional models of trauma recovery, and, for factual authenticity, bringing together voices from the Ukrainian battlefield, rehabilitation, and media, can embody both testimony and transformation, offering audiences a means to witness trauma while also engaging with resilience and hope.