Title The contemporary political play : rethinking dramaturgical structure / Sarah Grochala

Published London ; New York : Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2017 ©2017

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Description 1 online resource (ix, 248 pages) Series Bloomsbury Methuen Drama Bloomsbury Methuen Drama Contents Introduction -- Serious drama -- The politics of structure -- Time -- Space -- Plot -- Character -- Conclusion Summary What does it mean for a play to be political in the 21st century? Does it require explicit engagement with events and situations with the aim of bringing about change or highlighting social wrongs? Is it purely a matter of content or is it also a matter of structure? This text examines the politics of contemporary 'political' drama. It traces the origins of the contemporary British political play to the emergence of the idea of 'serious drama' in the late 19th century through the work of Bernard Shaw, and argues that a Shavian version of serious drama was inextricably linked to the social and political structures of British society at the time "What does it mean for a play to be political in the 21st century? Does it require explicit engagement with events and situations with the aim of bringing about change or highlighting social wrongs? Is it purely a matter of content or is it also a matter of structure? The Contemporary Political Play: Rethinking Dramaturgical Structure examines the politics of contemporary 'political' drama. It traces the origins of the contemporary British political play to the emergence of the idea of 'serious drama' in the late 19th century through the work of Bernard Shaw, and argues that a Shavian version of serious drama was inextricably linked to the social and political structures of British society at the time. While political drama is still often thought of as adhering to a Shavian model in which social issues are presented through a dialectical structure, Grochala argues that the different political structures of contemporary Britain give rise to formally inventive dramaturgies that are no less 'serious' or political than their Shavian forebears. Through analysing the experimental dramaturgies of contemporary plays by playwrights including Caryl Churchill, Simon Stephens, Anthony Neilson, debbie tucker green and Mark Ravenhill, among others, it offers a set of new principles for understanding how a play functions politically and reveals how today the dramaturgical structure of a play is as political as its content"-- Provided by publisher Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Description based on print version record Subject Political plays, English -- History and criticism English drama -- 21st century -- History and criticism Experimental drama, English -- History and criticism Politics and literature -- Great Britain -- History -- 21st century Literary studies: plays & playwrights. Theatre studies. LITERARY CRITICISM -- Drama. PERFORMING ARTS -- Theater -- History & Criticism. PERFORMING ARTS -- Theater -- Playwriting. Literature. Politics and literature Political plays, English Experimental drama, English English drama American drama Political plays Literature. Great Britain Genre/Form History Criticism, interpretation, etc. Form Electronic book ISBN 9781472588487 1472588487 9781472588500 1472588509 1472588495 9781472588494

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