CRISIS: The Theatre Responds

Theatre has responded to times of crisis by creating new dramatic forms to raise awareness of urgent issues. Plays such as Disgraced, Grounded, Mother Courage and Her Children, Guantanamo: 'Honor Bound to Defend Freedom., The Niceties, Black Watch, An Ordinary Muslim, A Number, Blue Heart, Cloud Nine, Escaped Alone, Far Away, American Moor, Aint No Mo, Fairview, Death of England and Death of England: Delroy, Blood Knot and Other Plays, Three Port Elizabeth Plays, "Master Harold"... and the boys, Eclipsed, Beat the Devil: A Covid Monologue, Stuff Happens, Slave Play, 1984 by George Orwell, An Octoroon, The Laramie Project and The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, Mosquitos, The Children, Angels in America, Death of a Salesman, Hamilton: The Revolution, In the Heights, Pipeline, The Jungle, The Guys, The Apple Family: A Pandemic Trilogy, Ruined, Pass Over, Father Comes Home from the Wars, Parts 1,2,& 3, The America Play and Other Works, Topdog/Underdog, White Noise, Rockets and Blue Lights, The Lehman Trilogy, Notes from the Field, Twilight Los Angeles: 1992, and others have addressed a range of topics, from World War II to the pandemic.

Format: Hardback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2023
Publisher: Salamander Street Limited

Theatre has responded to the crises of our time in a variety of ways, reflecting the complex and multifaceted nature of the challenges we face. In this book, we will explore the courageous responses of dozens of playwrights over the past hundred years, who have written about urgent issues such as World War II, communism, apartheid, the AIDS epidemic, gay hate crime, urban race riots, conflict in the Middle East, Africa, and Afghanistan, systemic racism, immigrant identity, the refugee crisis, authoritarianism, failing educational systems, environmental peril, and, most recently, the pandemic.

These dedicated writers, from four continents, have taken huge risks to heighten our awareness to the urgent issues of our times. They have created exciting new dramatic forms, made heroic efforts, and provoked and continue to provoke changes in our society.

Theatre has the unique ability to reflect the realities of our world and to challenge our perceptions and beliefs. It has the power to inspire, educate, and entertain, and to bring people together in times of crisis.

In this book, we will acknowledge the exciting new dramatic forms that playwrights have created, their heroic efforts, and the changes that they have provoked and continue to do so. We will also explore the challenges that playwrights face in creating their work and the ways in which theatres support them in their artistic endeavors.

Theatre has the potential to be a powerful tool for social change, and it is up to us to recognize its importance and to support it in its efforts to reflect the times we live in. By exploring the courageous responses of playwrights and the theatres that support them, we can better understand the role that theatre plays in shaping our world and in promoting social justice and equality.

Dimension: 216 x 138 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781914228742