Synopses & Reviews
Claire Cochrane maps the experience of theatre across the British Isles during the twentieth century through the social and economic factors which shaped it. Three topographies for 1900, 1950 and 2000 survey the complex plurality of theatre within the nation-state which at the beginning of the century was at the hub of world-wide imperial interests and after one hundred years had seen unprecedented demographic, economic and industrial change. Cochrane analyses the dominance of London theatre, but redresses the balance in favour of the hitherto marginalised majority experience in the English regions and the other component nations of the British political construct. Developments arising from demographic change are outlined, especially those relating to the rapid expansion of migrant communities representing multiple ethnicities. Presenting fresh historiographic perspectives on twentieth-century British theatre, the book breaks down the traditionally accepted binary oppositions between different sectors, showing a broader spectrum of theatre practice.
Synopsis
Cochrane explores where, why and how theatre took place across the British Isles during the twentieth century.
Synopsis
Exploring where, why and how theatre took place across the British Isles during the twentieth century, Claire Cochrane demonstrates the different ways it was experienced by theatre makers and audiences. Three topographies for 1900, 1950 and 2000 clearly show how the theatre landscape was influenced by social and economic change.
About the Author
Claire Cochrane is Senior Lecturer in Drama and Performance at the University of Worcester where she both teaches and directs medieval and English Renaissance drama in performance and new writing for the theatre. She is the author of Shakespeare and the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 1913-1929 (1993) and Birmingham Rep: A City's Theatre, 1962-2002 (2003). Her other publications include essays on regional developments in contemporary Black British and British Asian theatre and articles in journals such as Theatre Research International and New Theatre Quarterly on the historiography of amateur theatre.
Table of Contents
Introduction; 1. The topography of theatre in 1900; 2. Structures of management; 3. The profession of acting; 4. The amateur phenomenon; 5. The topography of theatre in 1950; 6. The business of theatre; 7. The changing demographic of performance; 8. The topography of theatre in 2000; Conclusion; Bibliography.