Time Frames: A century of proscenium playwrights

As Shakespeare and his contemporaries wrote for the epic scale, the imaginative commitment and the 360-degree embrace of the Globe so, three hundred years later, generations of playwrights wrote for the velvety darkness, the enclosed acoustic and the picture framing of the proscenium arch.

For a century, the story of the changing world was told inside proscenium theatres, by a series of remarkable playwrights. In over sixty irreverent, illuminating pen portraits – of both famous giants and lesser-known talents – Dominic Dromgoole takes us on a journey from 1865 to 1965, revealing how these writers used the framed stage to reflect the social upheavals of their times.

Brought vividly to life by a generously erudite and experienced theatre director, Time Frames is a hugely entertaining journey through a fascinating theatrical century, the era of the proscenium playwrights.

• Publication date: 27 August 2026
• Page count: 528
• Dimensions: Height 164 mm; Width 243 mm; Thickness 42 mm
• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Format: Hardback
• ISBN-13: 9780571374113