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Abstract

1914-1956: as political governing systems clashed, economic crises devastated nations and the perceived solidity of the modern world collapsed, the dramatists and theatre practitioners of America and Continental Europe responded, reflecting these anxieties and directly confronting audiences. Here was a collection of exciting theatrical performances: an ephemeral, vibrant and pioneering avant-garde. But what was happening in Britain?

Analyses (both contemporaneous and modern) generally presuppose that there was little evidence of a ‘historical avant-garde’ in Britain, particularly in the theatre. This book purports, not only that the long-neglected works of the period are worth re-appraising, but that in their structure, staging, character creation, language and use of ‘sister arts’, they can be read alongside those innovations overseas. Moving across national, generational and social borders, this original study re-imagines these performances, providing creative ways of thinking for researchers and practitioners alike. Here is a new, versatile and open-ended discursive framework: a ‘British Avant-Garde Theatre’.

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• British avant-garde theatre. (deposited 23 Aug 2011 20:54) [Currently Displayed]