Sarah Kane

Sarah Kane was a playwright who lived from 1971-1999. As a teenager she was a committed Christian but later rejected those beliefs. Originally, Kane wanted to be a poet but felt she was unable to convey her thoughts and feelings in this way and thus turned to play-writing. In 1992 she graduated from Bristol University with a BA in Drama and then graduated from University of Birmingham with an MA in play-writing. She was diagnosed with clinical depression and on occasion voluntarily admitted herself to Maudsley Hospital in London. She took her own life in 1999. The video below is a news report from when she died: 

A major playwright that Kane takes inspiration from is Edward Bond. His first play was written in 1962 and showed violence often, taking inspiration from current events at the time such as the Cold War. After reading Saved, Kane was deeply affected by it saying: "You can learn everything you need to know about the craft of play-writing from Saved." Bond's plays were seen as obscene and thus some critics believed that Kane was trying to copy from Bond. She then had to show her own distinct style to show political issues and did it in a much more shocking way. This pushed her to writing Blasted which has layer upon layer of obscene images and thus can be described as in-yer-face theatre similar to that of Berkoff. Her plays were much more shocking and said initially they were to just shock the audience rather than imply much more impressive themes. Kane's work deals with very controversial issues that wouldn't be talked about or shown especially on stage - such as male rape, someone having their eyeballs sucked out, and the violent effects of war as seen in Blasted. Her major themes are redemptive love, sexual desire, pain, torture (physical and psychological) and death which were characterised by a poetic intensity and pared-down language. Some critics believe that the unusual nature of her plays were only due to her mental illness and clinical depression whereas others are eager to show that the themes of violence are always joined (and juxtaposed) by other themes of gentleness. 

Blasted

The video below shows an extensive synopsis and analysis of Blasted which I think is to the detail that is needed to explain Kane and her style: 

The definite abusive relationship between Cate and Ian - confirmed by the demonstration of rape, emphasised by a suggestion that Cate has a disability or has been molested by Ian for years - is certainly toxic but is juxtaposed by the lack of large language in the script except their duologue which never really deals with the various rapes within the play. The initial reception of the play was mixed with some audience members being irritated or move by the horror/psychological accuracy of the relationships portrayed. However, it is clear to some critics that the play has a lack of realism and has structural weakness.

4.48 Psychosis

4.48 Psychosis is the final play that Kane wrote before her death and was performed one year after he death. The title derives from the time 4.48am, when Kane, in a depressed state, would often wake. It is often played by a person with clinical depression. the text says that its a subjective presentation of depression and discusses suicide with a lack of timeline or narrative. It is composed of 24 sections with no specified setting, stage direction, or characters. Some critics have trouble distinguishing the play from Kane's own life. The video below shows excerpts from the play: