Contemporary British Drama

This book offers an extended analysis of writers and theatre companies in Britain since 1995, and explores them alongside recent cultural, social and political developments. Referencing well-known practitioners from modern theatre, this book is an excellent introduction to how contemporary drama is made and analysed.

This book provides a critical assessment of dramatic literature since 1995, situating texts, companies and writers in a cultural, political and social context, It examines the shifting role of the playwright, the dominant genres and emerging styles of the past decade, and how they are related.

Beginning with an examination of how dramatic literature and the writer are placed in the contemporary theatre, the book then provides detailed analyses of the texts, companies and writing processes involved in six different professional contexts: new writing, verbatim theatre, writing and devising, Black and Asian theatre, writing for young people, and adaptation and transposition. The chapters cover contemporary practitioners, including Simon Stephens, Gregory Burke, Robin Soans, Alecky Blythe, Kneehigh Theatre, Punchdrunk, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Edward Bond, Filter Theatre and Headlong, and offers detailed case studies and examples of their work.

Key Features

The first book to examine contemporary British drama from the In-Yer-Face era (1995-2000) to the present day and track the changes and developments through this period

Extended case studies of Simon Stephens, Gregory Burke and Caryl Churchill and new British drama in the early twenty-first century

Focus on recent adaptation, including Kneehigh Theatre, Punchdrunk, Filter Theatre and Headlong