Batavia and the Problem of Truth

The play Batavia re-tells the story of a Dutch East India Company ship, wrecked off the West Australian coast in 1628. In writing Batavia, I consider issues of ethics and pragmatics in deciding how best to use or adapt historical sources--choices often between historical accuracy and effectiveness on stage. The playscript illustrates choices made. The exegesis examines the literature surrounding these considerations, and looks at other writers' comments and approaches to the problem. It suggests a pragmatics of playwrighting is well grounded in philosophy and is a more fruitful approach than t... Mehr ...