The Royal Court Theatre and the Modern Stage

An account of the leading forum of the modern stage; includes Foreword by former Director of the Royal Court, Max Stafford-Clark.

Philip Roberts (Author)

9780521479622, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 25 November 1999

314 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.46 kg

'Philip Roberts … produces an essential documentary account …' The Times Literary Supplement

The Royal Court Theatre is one of the primary forums in the development of post-war drama. Under the title of the English Stage Company the theatre's house actors and dramatists commissioned and produced some of the most influential plays in modern theatre history, including the works of Brenton, Churchill, Bond and Osborne. The story of the Royal Court is also the history of the contemporary stage. In this absorbing account of the theatre's history from 1956 to 1998, Philip Roberts draws on previously unpublished archives in both public and private collections and a series of interviews with people prominent in the Court's life. The book also includes a Foreword by the former Director of the Royal Court, Max Stafford-Clark. The result is an intimate account of the working of the foremost house of modern drama and its relationships to the world of the theatre in Britain and abroad.

Foreword Max Stafford-Clark
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
Biographical notes
Preface
Introduction: abortive schemes, 1951–4
1. Coincidences, 1954–6
2. The struggle for control, 1956–60
3. Conflict and competition, 1960–5
4. A socialist theatre, 1965–9
5. A humanist theatre, 1969–75
6. Changing places, 1975–9
7. Theatre in a cold climate, 1980–6
8. Holding on, 1987–93
Afterword
Notes
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Theatre studies [AN]