Synopses & Reviews
This collection showcases the five best new plays from the first decade of the twenty-first century and perfectly reflects why British theatre is regarded as the epicenter of vitality, relevance and innovation in drama and the performing arts.
Blue/Orange is Joe Penhall's award-winning play set in a mental hospital which provides a riveting exploration of racism, health and power. "One of the best new plays in the National's history"
Sunday Times. Winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Play.
Elmina's Kitchen by Kwame Kwei-Armah centers around gun crime and the struggle to make a living on Hackney's Murder Mile and marked the emergence of a major new writing talent. "An exquisite tragi-comedy for our times. "
The Herald Neilson's Realism dramatizes the everyday life and increasingly bizarre fantasies and thoughts of its protagonist with comic zeal and inspired inventiveness.
Gone Too Far! explores a London community divided by race and prejudice.
Pornography by Simon Stephens tells seven entwining stories of people's lives during the day leading up to the catastrophic event of the London 7/7 terrorist bombings.
Anthony Neilson is an Artistic Associate of National Theatre of Scotland and a creator of pioneering, taboo-breaking new work.
Bola Agbaje had her first play Gone Too Far! produced at the Royal Court.
Joe Penhall is the author of screenplay Enduring Love for Film Four, based on the Ian McEwan novel, the three-part TV drama Moses Jones besides a number of stage plays.
Kwame Kwei-Armah's most recent play, Let There Be Love was produced at the Tricycle Theatre, London.
Simon Stephens won the Olivier Award for Best New Play for On the Shore of the Wide World. This collection showcases the five best new plays from the first decade of the twenty-first century and perfectly reflects why British theatre is regarded as the epicenter of vitality, relevance and innovation in drama and the performing arts:
Blue/Orange is Joe Penhall's award-winning play set in a mental hospital which provides a riveting exploration of racism, health and power. The Sunday Times (London) quotes, "One of the best new plays in the National's history." It was the winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2001.
Elmina's Kitchen by Kwame Kwei-Armah centers around gun crime and the struggle to make a living on Hackney's Murder Mile and marked the emergence of a major new writing talent. "An exquisite tragi-comedy for our times" (The Hearald).
Neilson's Realism dramatizes the everyday life and increasingly bizarre fantasies and thoughts of its protagonist with comic zeal and inspired inventiveness.
Gone Too Far! explores a London community divided by race and prejudice.
Pornography by Simon Stephens tells seven entwining stories of people's lives during the day leading up to the catastrophic event of the London 7/7 terrorist bombings. This collection showcases the best new plays from the first decade of the twenty-first century and perfectly reflects why British theatre is regarded as the epicenter of vitality, relevance and innovation in drama and the performing arts. These five plays include Blue/Orange, Elmina's Kitchen, Neilson's Realism, Gone Too Far! and Pornography.
Synopsis
This collection showcases the five best new plays from the first decade of the twenty-first century and perfectly reflects why British theatre is regarded as the epicenter of vitality, relevance and innovation in drama and the performing arts. Blue/Orange is Joe Penhall's award-winning play set in a mental hospital which provides a riveting exploration of racism, health and power. "One of the best new plays in the National's history"—Sunday Times. Winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Play. Elmina's Kitchen by Kwame Kwei-Armah centers around gun crime and the struggle to make a living on Hackney's Murder Mile and marked the emergence of a major new writing talent. "An exquisite tragi-comedy for our times. "—The Herald Neilson's Realism dramatizes the everyday life and increasingly bizarre fantasies and thoughts of its protagonist with comic zeal and inspired inventiveness. Gone Too Far! explores a London community divided by race and prejudice. Pornography by Simon Stephens tells seven entwining stories of people's lives during the day leading up to the catastrophic event of the London 7/7 terrorist bombings.
Synopsis
The Methuen Drama Book of 21st Century British Plays showcases five of the best new plays from the first decade of the twenty-first century. A perfect reminder of the relevance, vitality and innovation of British theatre, this collection represents some of the most exciting plays to emerge in recent years.
Joe Penhall's multi-award-winning Blue/Orange was heralded as 'one of the best new plays in the National's history' (Sunday Times). Set in a mental hospital it provides a riveting exploration of racism, health and power, and was the winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Play 2001. Elmina's Kitchen by Kwame Kwei-Armah, about gun crime and the struggle to make a living on Hackney's Murder Mile, marked the emergence of a major new writing talent. 'An exquisite tragi-comedy for our times' (Herald) Neilson's Realism dramatises the everyday life and increasingly bizarre fantasies and thoughts of its protagonist with comic zeal and inspired inventiveness. Gone Too Far explores a London community divided by race and prejudice. The first play to be written about the London 7/7 terrorist bombings, Simon Stephens' Pornography tells seven entwining stories of people's lives during the day leading up to the catastrophic event.
Synopsis
This collection showcases the five best new plays from the first decade of the twenty-first century and perfectly reflects why British theatre is regarded as the epicenter of vitality, relevance and innovation in drama and the performing arts. Blue/Orange, Elmina's Kitchen, Neilson's Realism, Gone Too Far! and Pornography.
About the Author
Joe Penhall is the author of screenplay
Enduring Love for Film Four, based on the Ian McEwan novel, the three-part TV drama
Moses Jones besides a number of stage plays. Kwame Kwei-Armah's most recent play,
Let There Be Love was produced at the Tricycle Theatre, London. Anthony Neilson is an Artistic Associate of National Theatre of Scotland and a creator of pioneering, taboo-breaking new work. Bola Agbaje had her first play
Gone Too Far! produced at the Royal Court. Simon Stephens won the Olivier Award for Best New Play for
On the Shore of the Wide World. Editor Aleks Sierz is the theatre critic of
Tribune and a freelance theatre reviewer. His seminal study, In-Yer-Face Theatre, defined a new generation of writers and their work.