Contemporary British Theatre

Contemporary British Theatre surveys the complex and dynamic theatre of the eighties and early nineties reflecting a country that is multicultural, multiethnic and multinational.

The contributors - artists, scholars and critics - offer insights into the unique forms of theatre performance devised to express the tensions and pressures of our time.

The productions discussed include the recent work of internationally-known playwrights such as Timberlake Wertenbaker, Howard Barker, Caryl Churchill, Steven Berkoff, Edward Bond, David Edgar and Tony Harrison; the new generation of directors including Deborah Warner, Sam Mendes, Jatinder Verma, Richard Jones, Jenny Killick and Declan Donnellan; designers such as Bob Crowley, Alison Chitty, Richard Hudson, Maria Bjornson, Hayden Griffin, Anthony Ward, David Filding, Mark Thompson; and theatre co-operatives such as Welfare State International, the People Show, DV8 Physical Theatre, Theatre de Complicite, Forced Entertainment, Cardiff Laboratory Theatre, Magdalena Project, Communicado, Brith Gof, Moving Being and Man Act.;For the paperback edition a new preface has been written, including several updating pieces from individual contributors.