State of the Nation by Michael Billington
State of the Nation: British Theatre since 1945 looks at post-war Britain from a theatrical perspective.
Magisterial, informative and livelyEssential for anybody interested in theatre's recent history. The Times Billington is first-rate when it comes to spotting themes in the diverse work he has seen, and his book is an impressive monument to a professional life well spent. There is some superb critical analysis of individual plays with Billington finding fresh things to say and he's excellent, too, on the creation and shifting fortunes of the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company. Daily Telegraph Billington has managed to produce a compelling narrative history of 60 years of British theatre which is a pleasure to read. The Economist Billington has produced an account of the theatre and of Britain which, like the art he rates most highly, does not only reflect on what happens, but may influence it too. Independent
Michael Billington has been theatre critic of the Guardian since 1971 and of Country Life since 1986. He is the author of biographies of Harold Pinter (newly revised this year) and Peggy Ashcroft, of critical studies of Tom Stoppard and Alan Ayckbourn, of a celebration of Ken Dodd and a collection of reviews, One Night Stands. He has also edited Directors' Shakespeare: Twelfth Night and Stage and Screen Lives selected from the Dictionary of National Biography. He frequently lectures and broadcasts on the arts, teaches drama for the University of Pennsylvania and is a Visiting Professor at King's College, London and an Honorary Fellow of St Catherine's College, Oxford.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780571210343 |
| ISBN 10 | 0571210341 |
| Title | State of the Nation |
| Author | Michael Billington |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year published | 2007-11-01 |
| Number of pages | 448 |
| Prizes | Winner of Theatre Book Prize 2007 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |