Feminism, Dramaturgy, and the Contemporary British History Play (Methuen Drama Engage)

When we think of the contemporary British history play, why might we automatically think of playwrights such as David Hare, Howard Brenton, Peter Gill and Edward Bond? Because for decades the writing of the history play has been the preserve of the white male. This book provides a vital feminist intervention into the dramaturgy of history plays, investigating work produced at major British theatres from 2000 to the present, written by a generation of innovative women playwrights. This much-needed study explores the use of history – specifically Elizabethan, Restoration, Victorian and early 20th century – in contemporary playwriting in order to interrogate the gender politics of this work. Within the framework of contemporary feminism – including the pivotal #MeToo movement – the book looks at post-2000s feminist drama that somehow represents the past. Through delving into the recurring tropes and their politics in the light of current feminist debate, the author helps us grasp how these plays essentially re-imagine gender politics. Plays that are considered include Emilia (Morgan Lloyd Malcolm), Swive [Elizabeth] (Ella Hickson), An August Bank Holiday Lark (Deborah McAndrew), The Empress (Tanika Gupta), Red Velvet (Lolita Chakrabarti), Scuttlers (Rona Munro), I, Joan (Charlie Josephine), Blue Stockings and Nell Gwynn (Jessica Swale), and the musical Six (Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss). Cover Contents List of Figures Acknowledgements Introductory Chapter Introduction Dual time frames and the initial premise Mapping the field Theatre studies Audience studies Feminism History and theatre studies The question of authenticity Authenticity at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Historiography and historical representation Development of the argument 1 The Wartime Woman: the impact of the centenary year on theatrical representations of the First World War Introduction Gendered narratives of the First World War Recurring modes of representation in centenary plays Dramaturgy of the female narrative The mother figure The young woman Subverting patriarchal dramaturgy in An August Bank Holiday Lark Plot synopsis and text in performance The dramaturgy of paying tribute to the women Symbols of remembrance Conclusion 2 The Victorian Woman: identity politics in neo-Victorian performance Introduction Scuttlers Plot synopsis Mise-en-scène Neo-Victorian aesthetics and dramaturgy Narratives of social mobility The Riot Female narratives in Scuttlers The Empress Plot synopsis Neo-Victorianism and challenging a Western perspective Staging a political campaign Rani’s character arc The Queen and Abdul Karim Conclusion 3 The Educated Woman: choice feminism and the love/career dichotomy Introduction: a case study of Jessica Swale’s work Blue Stockings Plot synopsis Social context and feminist debate Historical narratives paralleled to contemporary pressure Romance Representing opposition Normative historiography and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Nell Gwynn Plot synopsis Representing Nell Gwynn in scholarship, literature, and performance Representing a historical theatre industry Conclusion 4 The Playwright as Historiographer Introduction Emilia Plot synopsis Historiography in action Red Velvet Plot synopsis An intersectional perspective Intersectionality and historiography Red Velvet: dramaturgy and narrative structure Emilia: memory and shared experience Othello and the play-within-a-play Conclusion 5 The Disruption Introduction Swive [Elizabeth] The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse: literature and context Disrupting the heritage framing through design I, Joan: disrupting the assumed ending Six: the potential of staging historiographical enquiry Concluding remarks and practical tools for feminist intervention Conclusion Overview Concluding remarks Appendix – Surveyed Theatre Archives Bibliography Index