The Cambridge History of British Theatre The Cambridge History of British Theatre 3 Volume Hardback Set Series

This volume explores the rich and complex histories of English, Scottish and Welsh theatres in the 'long' twentieth century since 1895. Twenty-three original essays by leading historians and critics investigate the major aspects of theatrical performance, ranging from the great actor-managers to humble seaside entertainers, from between-wars West End women playwrights to the roots of professional theatre in Wales and Scotland, and from the challenges of alternative theatres to the economics of theatre under Thatcher. Detailed surveys of key theatre practices and traditions across this whole period are combined with case studies of influential productions, critical years placed in historical perspective and evaluations of theatre at the turn of the millennium. The collection presents an exciting evolution in the scholarly study of modern British theatre history, skilfully demonstrating how performance variously became a critical litmus test of the great aesthetic, cultural, social, political and economic upheavals in the age of extremes.

Acknowledgements; Chronology; List of illustrations; Part I. 1895–1946: 1. British theatre, 1895–1946: art, entertainment, audiences – an introduction Dennis Kennedy; 2. The London stage, 1895–1918 Thomas Postlewait; 3. Provincial stages, 1900–34: touring and early repertory theatre Viv Gardner; 4. Popular theatre, 1896–1940 Sophie Nield; 5. Case study: Cicely Hamilton's Diana of Dobson's, 1908 Christine Dymkowski; 6. A critical year in perspective: 1926 Steve Nicholson; 7. The London stage, 1918–45 Maggie B. Gale; 8. Social commitment and aesthetic innovation, 1895–1946 Mick Wallis; PART II. Scottish and Welsh Theatres, 1895–2002: 9. Towards national identities: theatre in Scotland Jan McDonald; 10. Case study: Ena Lamont Stewart's Men Should Weep, 1947 Nadine Holdsworth; 11. Towards national identities: Welsh theatres Ioan Williams; 12. Case study: refashioning a myth, performances of the tale of Blodeuwedd Hazel Walford Davies; Part III. 1940–2002: 13. British theatre, 1940–2002: an introduction Baz Kershaw; 14. The establishment of mainstream theatre, 1946–79 John Bull; 15. Alternative theatres, 1946–2000 Baz Kershaw; 16. Developments in the profession of theatre, 1946–2000 Colin Chambers; 17. Case study: Theatre Workshop's Oh What a Lovely War, 1963 Derek Paget; 18. 1979 and after: a view Vera Gottlieb; 19. British theatre and commerce, 1979–2000 Stephen Lacey; 20. New theatre for new times: decentralisation, innovation and pluralism, 1975–2000 Simon Jones; 21. Theatre in Scotland in the 1990s and beyond Adrienne Scullion; 22. Theatre in Wales in the 1990s and beyond Roger Owen; 23. English theatre in the 1990s and beyond Liz Tomlin; Bibliography; Index.

Baz Kershaw is Chair of Drama at the Department of Drama, University of Bristol. He is the author of The Politics of Performance: Radical Theatre as Cultural Intervention (1992) and The Radical in Performance: Between Brecht and Baudrillard (1999), and has been published in a number of journals including the Theatre Journal, New Theatre Quarterly and Studies in Theatre and Performance.