Contemporary British theatre

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Contemporary British Theatre surveys the complex and dynamic theatre of the eighties and early nineties reflecting a country that is multicultural, multiethnic and multinational. The contributors - artists, scholars and critics - offer insights into the unique forms of theatre performance devised to express the tensions and pressures of our time. For the paperback edition a new preface has been written, including several updating pieces from individual contributors.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• List of Photographs
• Notes on Contributors
• Part 1 The Multiplicity of British Theatre
• Sated, Starved or Satisfied: The Languages of Theatre in Britain Today
• Part 2 Digging the Greeks: New Versions of Old Classics
• Cultural Transformations
• Edward Bond and the Royal National Theatre
• Spread a Little Happiness: West End Musicals
• Part 3 Breaking the Boundaries: The People Show, Lumiere & Son and Hesitate and Demonstrate
• Diverse Assembly: Some Trends in Recent Performance
• Experimental Theatre in Scotland
• The Welsh National Theatre: The Avant-Garde in the Diaspora
• LIFTing the Theatre: The London International Festival of Theatre
• Part 4 The Electronic Media and British Drama
• The Playwriting Profession: Setting Out and the Journey
• Directors: The New Generation
• Recent Tendencies in Design
• Index

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Shank (Univ. of California-San Diego) has compiled a collection that provides a wide-ranging look at British theater in the late 1980s and early '90s. The contributors are artists, scholars, and critics; their disparate, expert voices bring a sense of completeness to the descriptions of the various artists and organizations. An excellent companion to John Russell Taylor's The Second Wave (1971), this volume explores topics ranging from West End musicals to experimental theater in Scotland, and from the new generation of directors to trends in recent performance. Articles are specific and generous in their descriptions of particular productions and companies and include a few photographs. Each essay has a useful reference and publication listing, but the book has no general bibliography. Although the essays are written in a clear, accessible style, the reader needs a solid theater vocabulary and a good grounding in the history of British theater since 1950 to get full use of the book. Upper-division undergraduates and above. S. J. Blackstone; Southern Illinois University