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The researcher looked at the effects of Roman rituals on the Christian faith. After thorough research, it appeared that the Roman influences did not get lost with the introduction of Christianity to the rest of Europe. The researcher went back to old rituals and superstitions and studied how drama (mime) developed from the ritual. However, it is clear that devilish swooningâs and demonic representations played a big role in the ritual. The researcher found that many beliefs were mixed with the Christian faith and later on were transferred into the Church. The demonic character played a big role in the representation of what is evil. Stage designers paid a lot of attention on the details of the demonic character and the hell, they wanted it to look as realistic as possible. The study found that the demonic character, Moenen, in the play Mariken van Nieumeghen, played a very prominent role. The researcher analysed another Medieval text, called Den Spieghel der salicheit van Elckerlijc, analyzed. What was very interesting is that both texts have elements that resemble the demonic characters of the artist Hiëronymus Bosch; as well as his representation of death. The researcher also drew similarities between the story of Den Spieghel der salicheit van Elckerlijc and Buddhist. During these studies, the researcher applied these Medieval elements to a South African sixties novel, Sewe Dae by die Silbersteins. The researcher studied the role gender plays in the portrayal of the evil characters found in the novel. Thorough analysis of the novel shows clear similarities between the portrayal of evil characters in the text and the representations of the demonic characters of the Middle Ages. Similarities between Hiëronymus Bosch's depiction of evil and how it was portrayed in the novel could be drawn.

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This dissertation examines contemporary responses by Austrian theatre makers from the free theatre sector, that is, those working outside of the state theatre establishment, to the outcome of what came to be known as ‘the big lie’ on which Austrian national identity was built following liberation from German rule by the Allied forces in 1945. The ensuing problem for the post-war generations of having to claim a past that was buried under the carefully constructed official version of history but mediated through the silence of their parents and grandparents – shaping their (inner) lives – and possibilities for representing such experience through the medium of theatre are core issues explored in this study. The main focus of the dissertation is analysis of a selection of three pieces of theatre produced by two free theatre companies in Austria, Auf der Suche nach Jakob / Searching for Jacob / Szukajac Jakuba, and Pola, both by the Projekttheater Studio based in Vienna, and Speaking Stones: images, voices, fragments… from that which comes after by Theater Asou in Graz, Styria. Apart from contextualization of the central thematic concerns of the selected pieces of theatre within the historical events of 20th century Austria, and discussion of the theoretical framework within which the pieces are analysed, this study also offers a consideration of the phenomenon of the free theatre sector in contemporary Austria as a complement and an alternative to the state theatre sector, its roots and development since the post WWII period through to the early 21st century. Interviews with theatre artists, arts administrators and a Holocaust eye witness are also drawn upon to investigate how free theatre can provide a medium though which memory-work, the subtleties of damage and the inexpressible, and the difficult task of claiming the past can be explored.