Modern British Playwriting: The 1990's: Voices, Documents, New Interpretations (Decades of Modern British Playwriting)

British theatre of the 1990s witnessed an explosion of new talent and presented a new sensibility that sent shockwaves through audiences and critics. What produced this change, the context from which the work emerged, the main playwrights and plays, and the influence they had on later work are freshly evaluated in this important new study in Methuen Drama's Decades of Modern British Playwriting series. The 1990s volume provides a detailed study by four scholars of the work of four of the major playwrights who emerged and had a significant impact on British theatre: Sarah Kane (by Catherine Rees), Anthony Neilson (Patricia Reid), Mark Ravenhill (Graham Saunders) and Philip Ridley (Aleks Sierz). Essential for students of Theatre Studies, the series of six decadal volumes provides a critical survey and study of the theatre produced from the 1950s to 2009. Each volume features a critical analysis of the work of four key playwrights besides other theatre work, together with an extensive commentary on the period. Readers will understand the works in their contexts and be presented with fresh research material and a reassessment from the perspective of the twenty-first century. This is an authoritative and stimulating reassessment of British playwriting in the 1990s. Essential for students of theatre studies, Methuen Drama's Decades of Modern British Playwriting series provides a comprehensive survey and study of the theatre produced in each decade from the 1950s to 2009 in six volumes. Each volume features a critical analysis and reevaluation of the work of four/five key playwrights from that decade authored by a team of experts, together with an extensive commentary on the period . Edited by Dan Rebellato, Modern British Playwriting: 2000-2009 provides an authoritative and stimulating reassessment of the theatre of the decade, together with a detailed study of the work of David Greig (Nadine Holdsworth), Simon Stephens (Jacqueline Bolton), Tim Crouch (Dan Rebellato), Roy Williams (Michael Pearce) and Debbie Tucker Green (Lynette Goddard). The volume sets the context by providing a chronological survey of the decade, one marked by the War on Terror, the excesses of economic globalization and the digital revolution. In surveying the theatrical activity and climate, Andrew Haydon explores the response to the political events, the rise of verbatim theatre, the increasing experimentation and the effect of both the Boyden Report and changes in the Arts Council's priorities. Five scholars provide detailed examinations of the playwrights' work during the decade, combining an analysis of their plays with a study of other material such as early play drafts and the critical receptions of the time. Interviews with each playwright further illuminate this stimulating final volume in the Decades of Modern British Playwriting series Cover Contents General Preface Acknowledgements Introduction: Living in the 1990s Background Everyday life Education Media Culture Science, technology and industry Politics 1 Theatre in the 1990s Background Heritage, culture and the Arts Council Flagship theatres: West End, National and RSC Off-West End and companies New writing Experimental, fringe and live art Outside London: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Conclusion 2 Playwrights and Plays Philip Ridley Introduction The Pitchfork Disney The Fastest Clock in the Universe Ghost from a Perfect Place Conclusion Sarah Kane Introduction Blasted Cleansed 4.48 Psychosis Conclusion Anthony Neilson Introduction Normal Penetrator The Censor Conclusion Mark Ravenhill Introduction Shopping and Fucking Some Explicit Polaroids Mother Clap’s Molly House Conclusion 3 Documents Philip Ridley: Vesper – a Monologue Sarah Kane: Interview with Dan Rebellato Anthony Neilson: In His Own Words Mark Ravenhill: ‘A Tear in the Fabric’ Afterword Notes Select Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z Notes on Contributors Essential for students of theatre studies, this series of 6 decadal volumes provides a critical survey and study of the theatre produced in each decade from the 1950s to the present. Each volume features a critical analysis of the work of four key playwrights from that decade together with an extensive commentary on the period. This Volume Provides A Detailed Study By Four Scholars Of The Work Of Four Of The Major Playwrights Who Emerged And Had A Significant Impact On British Theatre: Sarah Kane, Anthony Neilson, Mark Ravenhill, And Philip Ridley. Aleks Sierz. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. A critical study of the theatre produced in the 1990s with an in-depth analysis of the work of four key playwrights from the decade.