The Cambridge Companion to British Theatre since 1945

Erscheinungsjahr 2024
ISBN: 978-1-108-43238-2
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 326 Seiten, Format (B × H): 229 mm x 151 mm, Gewicht: 482 g

Reihe: Cambridge Companions to Theatre and Performance

British theatre underwent a vast transformation and expansion in the decades after World War II. This Companion explores the historical, political, and social contexts and conditions that not only allowed it to expand but, crucially, shaped it. Resisting a critical tendency to focus on plays alone, the collection expands understanding of British theatre by illuminating contexts such as funding, unionisation, devolution, immigration, and changes to legislation. Divided into four parts, it guides readers through changing attitudes to theatre-making (acting, directing, writing), theatre sectors (West End, subsidised, Fringe), theatre communities (audiences, Black theatre, queer theatre), and theatre's relationship to the state (government, infrastructure, nationhood). Supplemented by a valuable Chronology and Guide to Further Reading, it presents up-to-date approaches informed by critical race theory, queer studies, audience studies, and archival research to demonstrate important new ways of conceptualising post-war British theatre's history, practices and potential futures.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Rebellato, Dan

Harvie, Jen

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Theater- und Filmwissenschaft | Andere Darstellende Künste Theaterwissenschaft

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction: Jen Harvie and Dan Rebellato; Part I. Theatre Makers: 1. Playwrights: collectivity and collaboration Dan Rebellato; 2. Directors: organisation, authorship and social production Tom Cornford; 3. Actors: a history of service Aoife Monks; Part II: Theatre Sectors: 4. West end and commercial theatre: crisis, change and continuity Rachel Clements; 5. Subsidised theatre: strength, elitism, metropolitanism, racism Jen Harvie; 6. The fringe: the rise and fall of radical alternative theatre Dan Rebellato and Jen Harvie; Part III. Theatre Communities: 7. Audiences: ownership, interaction, agency Helen Freshwater; 8. Black British theatre: blackouts and spotlights Vanessa Damilola Macaulay; 9. Queer theatre: reclaiming histories, historicising, and hope Sarah Jane Mullan; Part IV. Theatre and State: 10. Government, policy and censorship in post-war British theatre Louise Owen; 11. Buildings and the political economy of theatre financing in Britain Michael Mckinnie; 12. Regions and nations: the myth of levelling up Trish Reid; Acknowledgments.

Über Autor(innen)

Harvie, Jen
JEN HARVIE is Professor of Contemporary Theatre and Performance at Queen Mary University of London. Her books include Fair Play – Art, Performance and Neoliberalism (2013), Staging the UK (2005), and The Routledge Companion to Theatre and Performance (2nd ed. 2014). She co-edits the book series Theatre &.

Rebellato, Dan
DAN REBELLATO is Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Royal Holloway University of London. His books include 1956 and All That (1999), Modern British Playwriting 2000-2009 (2013), and Playwriting (2023). He co-edits the book series Theatre &. His many plays include Static and Chekhov in Hell.