Abstract

The conception that the UK is a divided nation has proved a great attraction to theatre-makers on the political centre, where it feeds into dominant media narratives about the increased polarisation between the political left and right. This has led to a number of theatrical interventions that have categorised significant social problems such a racism as failures of communication, where it is hoped that an improved quality of dialogue will allow greater understanding and heal rifts. This paper looks at the liabilities of centrist 'tone-policing' when dealing with the reactionary right in two significant examples of recent UK drama: Chris Hannan's 'What Shadows' and Chris Bush's 'The Assassination of Katie Hopkins'.