Played in Britain by Kate Dorney
Now available in paperback, Played in Britain: Modern Theatre in 100 Plays explores the best and most influential plays from 1945 to date. Published in collaboration with the Victoria & Albert Musuem and fully illustrated with photos from the V&A's collections and featuring a foreword by the late Richard Griffiths O.B.E., the book provides a sumptuous treat for theatre-lovers. It was awarded the 2014 David Bradby Award for research by the Theatre and Performance Research Association. Opening with J. B. Priestley's classic play from 1946, An Inspector Calls, and ending with Laura Wade's examination of class privilege and moral turpitude in Posh over 60 years later, Played in Britain offers a visual history of post-war theatre on the British stage. Arranged chronologically the featured plays illustrate and respond to a number of themes that animate post-war society: censorship and controversy; race and immigration; gender and sexuality; money and politics. An essay on each period first sets the context and explores trends, while the commentary accompanying each play illuminates the plot and themes, considers its original reception and subsequent afterlife, and finishes by suggesting other plays to explore. Photographs from the V&A's extensive collection illustrate each play, providing further insight into stage and costume designs, and include iconic images from the premieres of major plays such as Waiting for Godot and Look Back in Anger. Illustrated throughout with stage production photography, Played in Britain: Modern Theatre in 100 Plays presents a unique and visually stunning panorama of key dramatic works produced in Britain over the past seventy years. From An Inspector Calls to The Rocky Horror Show, or Abigail's Party to Waiting for Godot, fresh light is thrown on the impact, aesthetics and essence of these key plays.
For a theatre-buff-in-training, this is an extremely enjoyable and attractive book-- Rachel Creaser * Teaching Drama *
A lavishly-illustrated and fascinating book . . . A treat for theatre-lovers, and I can't think of a better way to introduce interested students to the history and range of drama in Britain. Recommended - and extremely pleasurable - reading. -- Gary Snapper, Editor * Teaching English, NATE *
Perhaps the only thing about witnessing firsthand a great theatre performance is reliving the experience by reading about it. Here’s a terrific coffee-table book offering100 memorable plays staged throughout the UK since 1945. Familiar classics such as Waiting for Godot, Look Back in Anger, and What the Butler Saw are included, but the bulk of the book offers details about lesser known shows that only the most attentive, post-War British theatre enthusiast might know. -- Larry Jaffee * The Huffington Post *
A lavishly-illustrated and fascinating book . . . A treat for theatre-lovers, and I can't think of a better way to introduce interested students to the history and range of drama in Britain. Recommended - and extremely pleasurable - reading. -- Gary Snapper, Editor * Teaching English, NATE *
Perhaps the only thing about witnessing firsthand a great theatre performance is reliving the experience by reading about it. Here’s a terrific coffee-table book offering100 memorable plays staged throughout the UK since 1945. Familiar classics such as Waiting for Godot, Look Back in Anger, and What the Butler Saw are included, but the bulk of the book offers details about lesser known shows that only the most attentive, post-War British theatre enthusiast might know. -- Larry Jaffee * The Huffington Post *
Kate Dorney is Curator of Modern and Contemporary Performance at the Victoria & Albert Theatre Collections, London, UK. She has authored books on modern British theatre and the arts. Frances Gray is former Reader in Drama at the University of Sheffield. She has published books on comedy, crime, John Arden and Noël Coward and writes plays for the stage and for radio. She has a Radio Times Award for radio comedy.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781472568670 |
| ISBN 10 | 1472568672 |
| Title | Played in Britain |
| Author | Kate Dorney |
| Series | Plays And Playwrights |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2014-11-20 |
| Number of pages | 224 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |