Overview

This handbook provides a detailed exploration of the rich and diverse theatrical work produced by women in the first two decades of 21st-century British theatre. The book explores key issues and methodologies relevant to women working in the UK’s theatre industry, including the legacies of feminism and its role in shaping contemporary work by women, the politics of visibility and inclusion in theatrical institutions, and collaborative strategies in creating original work. It closely examines how women in contemporary British theatre tackle urgent social issues such as environmental risk, the representation of marginalized identities and mental and physical wellbeing. Chapters by both established and early-career scholars from a variety of international contexts present new perspectives on significant questions and issues underpinning women’s work in 21st-century British theatre by engaging with contemporary debates from theatre and performance studies and cultural theory. A concluding roundtable with women theatre practitioners addresses key questions pertaining to their work, including working conditions, the politics of funding and of ageing, disability and care. With a foreword by the Guardian’s chief theatre critic, Arifa Akbar, and featuring research tools such as introductions to sections, a detailed list of sources and an annotated bibliography, this is an authoritative study for anyone with a keen research interest in the distinct contribution of women to contemporary British theatre and performance.

Full Product Details

Author:   Dr Marissia Fragkou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece) ,  Rebecca Benzie (University of York, UK)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Methuen Drama
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 3.00cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.820kg
ISBN:  

9781350360259

ISBN 10:   1350360252
Pages:   448
Publication Date:   06 February 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations List of Contributors About this Book Acknowledgments Foreword, Arifa Akbar (The Guardian) Introduction, Marissia Fragkou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece) Part 1: Feminist Legacies and Renewals 1.1. Introduction, Rebecca Benzie (University of York, UK) 1.2. Taking Stock of the Top-Girl Legacy: Lucy Prebble's Enron and Penelope Skinner's Linda, Maria Elisa Montironi (University of Urbino, Italy) 1.3. Reclaiming Herstory in Six, the Musical and Emilia, Samia La Virgne (Royal Holloway, University of London, UK) 1.4. Claiming Space: Directing Medea on the Twenty-first-century British Stage, Anja Hartl (University of Innsbruck, Austria) 1.5. Revisiting and Revamping the Naturalistic Form: Contemporary Adaptations by Zinnie Harris and Alexandra Wood, Büsra Erdurucan (Istanbul Kultur University, Turkey) Part 2: Politics of Identity 2.1. Introduction, Marissia Fragkou ((Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece) 2.2. Speaking and Listening: Ella Hickson’s Oil and Hannah Khalil’s Museum in Baghdad, Susan Bennett (University of Calgary, Canada) 2.3. Voicing Bodies, Voicing Histories: Elaine Mitchener's Experimental Vocal Performance, Konstantinos Thomaidis (University of Exeter, UK) 2.4. Performativity after Repetition? Queer and Feminist Praxis in Nic Green's Cock and Bull and Jade Montserrat's Revue/Shadowing Josephine, Steve Greer (University of Glasgow, UK) Part 3: Women, Health and the Body 3.1. Introduction, Marissia Fragkou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece) 3.2. Women’s Suicide in Contemporary British Theatre, Jon Venn (University of Birmingham, UK) 3.3. Black Women’s Health and Theatre: Staging Care in Mojisola Adebayo’s STARS and Zawe Ashton’s for all the women who thought they were Mad, Veronica Rodriguez-Morales (University of Alicante, Spain) and Paola Prieto Perez (University of Oviedo, Spain) 3.4. ‘A Strong, Older Woman’: Lived Experiences of Female Ageing in Contemporary British Theatre, Faye Rigopoulou (Independent researcher) Part 4: Ecodramaturgies 4.1. Introduction, Marissia Fragkou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece) 4.2. ‘Auspicious Terrain’: The Ecological Imprints of Caryl Churchill’s Escaped Alone and What if if Only, Patrick Lonergan (University of Galway, Ireland) 4.3. ‘For the Future, Now’: Climate Crisis and Futurity in Nina Segal’s In the Night Time (Before the Sun Rises) and Dawn King’s The Trials, Catherine Love (University of York, UK) 4.4. Decolonizing Ecodramaturgies in Sheila Ghelani’s Atmospheric Forces and Ray Young’s Thirst Trap, Lisa Woynarski (University of Reading, UK) 4.5. ‘No Theatre on a Dead Planet’: (Eco)Care in the Work of Lucy Kirkwood and Andrea Carr, Shelby Brewster (Independent researcher) Part 5: Institutional Ecologies and Theatre Cultures 5.1. Introduction, Rebecca Benzie (University of York, UK) 5.2. Assembling Diverse Voices: Female Migrant Artists in the British Theatre System, Kasia Lech (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) 5.3. Women and the Contemporary Scottish Stage, Trish Reid (University of Reading, UK) 5.4. ‘Don’t Fucking Clap Me’: Applauding Bryony Kimmings and Deborah Pearson’s Maternal Dramaturgies in English Play Development, Lucy Tyler (University of Reading, UK) Part 6: Collaborative Practices 6.1. Introduction, Rebecca Benzie (University of York, UK) 6.2. Rewriting Women, Crime, and Punishment: Commissioning and Collaboration Process in the Work of Clean Break Theatre Company, Caoimhe McAvinchey (Queen Mary, University of London, UK) and Sara Bartley (Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, UK) 6.3. The 'Human Snowball': Emma Rice’s Collaborative Practice, Lisa Peck (University of Sussex, UK) 6.4. Scenographic Doing: Performance Making Partnerships and Design-Led Collaboration, Katherine Graham (University of York, UK) Part 7: Women in the Theatre Industry 7.1. Roundtable Discussion with Kate Lovell, Sabrina Mahfouz, Helen Paris and Sarah Sigal, Marissia Fragkou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece) and Rebecca Benzie (University of York, UK) References Annotated Bibliography Index

Reviews

My enthusiasm for this collection only grew as I read it. It’s got a sophistication and expansiveness that affirms that not only does gender still matter to analyses of theatre but also establishes that the work of British women theatre artists in the twenty-first century has breathtaking range. * Sara Freeman, University of Puget Sound, USA *

My enthusiasm for this collection only grew as I read it. It’s got a sophistication and expansiveness that affirms that not only does gender still matter to analyses of theatre but also establishes that the work of British women theatre artists in the twenty-first century has breathtaking range. * Sara Freeman, University of Puget Sound, USA * Epic in scope and politically energising, this theatre anthology makes a compelling case for why and how ""gender still matters"" - creatively, critically and theoretically. A must read for students and scholars of contemporary British theatre and those invested in making a feminist difference in and out of the industry. * Elaine Aston, Lancaster University, UK *

Author Information

Marissia Fragkou is Assistant Professor in Theatre at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Rebecca Benzie is Lecturer in Theatre at the University of York, UK.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions