Synopses & Reviews
The year 1956 marked a point when British drama and theater fell into the hands of a group of young playwrights who revolutionized the stage. During that time, playwrights such as Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter made the British theater as rich, varied, and vital as any national theater in history. This reference chronicles the history of British theater from 1956 to 1995 by providing detailed information about the playwrights of that period.
Included are entries for some three dozen British playwrights active between 1956 and 1995. Entries are arranged alphabetically to facilitate use. Each entry supplies biographical information, the production history for particular plays, a survey of the playwright's critical reception, an assessment of the dramatist's work, and primary and secondary bibliographies. A selected, general bibliography at the end of the volume directs the reader to important sources of additional information about this period in theater history.
Review
The biographical sketches, descriptions of theatrical reception, and assessments of playwrights' careers are very informative, and the sections on archival sources are welcome....recommmended for college and university libraries.Choice
Synopsis
The year 1956 marked a point when British drama and theater fell into the hands of a group of young playwrights who revolutionized the stage. Due to the contributions of playwrights such as Samuel Beckett, John Osborne, and Harold Pinter, the last four decades of British theater have been as rich and varied as any national theater in history. This reference includes entries for some three dozen British playwrights active from 1956 to 1995, with entries providing biographical, theatrical, critical, and bibliographical information.
About the Author
WILLIAM W. DEMASTES is Professor of English at Louisiana State University.
Table of Contents
Preface by William W. Demastes
John Arden (1930- ) by Michael L. Counts
Alan Ayckbourn (1939- ) by James Fisher
Howard Barker (1946- ) by David Ian Rabey
Peter Barnes (1931- ) by Stephen Weeks
Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) by William Hutchings
Edward Bond (1934- ) by William J. Free
Howard Brenton (1942- ) by John E. O'Connor
Caryl Churchill (1938- ) by Amelia Howe Kritzer
Shelagh Delaney (1939- ) by Colette Lindroth
David Edgar (1948- ) by Art Borreca
Michael Frayn (1933- ) by Karen C. Blansfield
Pam Gems (1925- ) by Sarah Rudolph
Simon Gray (1936- ) by Tony J. Stafford
Trevor Griffiths (1935- ) by Stanton B. Garner, Jr.
Christopher Hampton (1946- ) by William J. Free
David Hare (1947- ) by Judy Lee Oliva
Ann Jellicoe (1927- ) by Janice Oliver
Bernard Kops (1926- ) by William Baker
Liz Lochhead (1947- ) by Ilona Koren-Deutsch
John McGrath (1935- ) by Malcolm Page
Peter Nichols (1927- ) by Kim L. Jones-Owen
John Osborne (1929-1994) by Malcolm Page
Joe Orton (1933-1967) by Don Lawson
Louise Page (1955- ) by Kurt Eisen
Harold Pinter (1930- ) by Stephen H. Gale
Stephen Poliakoff (1952- ) by William W. Demastes
Willy Russell (1947- ) by Chris Jones
Tom Stoppard (1937- ) by Richard Corballis
David Storey (1933- ) by William Hutchings
C.P. Taylor (1929-1981) by William W. Demastes
Timberlake Wertenbaker (1944?- ) by Carla J. McDonough
Arnold Wesker (1932- ) by Robert Wilcher
Hugh Whitemore (1936- ) by Walter H. Placzek
John Whiting (1917-1963) by Thomas P. Apple
Snoo Wilson (1948- ) by Dawn Dietrich
Selected General Bibliography
Index of Names
Index of Titles