Feminist Views On The English Stage

Feminist Views on the English Stage, first published in 2003, is an exciting and insightful study on drama from a feminist perspective, one that challenges an idea of the 1990s as a 'post-feminist' decade and pays attention to women's playwriting marginalized by a 'renaissance' of angry young men. Working through a generational mix of writers, from Sarah Kane, the iconoclastic 'bad girl' of the stage, to the 'canonical' Caryl Churchill, Elaine Aston charts the significant political and aesthetic changes in women's playwriting at the century's end. Aston also explores writing for the 1990s in theatre by Sarah Daniels, Bryony Lavery, Phyllis Nagy, Winsome Pinnock, Rebecca Prichard, Judy Upton and Timberlake Wertenbaker.

This classic study is both an introduction to, and an overview of, the relationship between feminism and theatre. The reissued edition features a new Foreword by Elaine Aston who examines the context in which Case's book was written, the influence it has had, subsequent developments in the field and the continued importance of the work.

Feminism In Modern English Drama Explores The Emergence Of The New Woman In The Plays Of Bernard Shaw, Galsworthy And Granville Barker And How Their Dominating Role Revolutionized The Modern Drama. The Emphasis Shifted From The Male Protagonist To The Unwomanly Woman Who Is Shown More As A Product Of Social, Economic And Political Interactions Than Individual Creation.The Focus Is On The Early And Middle Plays Of Bernard Shaw And The Influence Of Ibsen S Plays Has Been Given Their Rightful Place. Most Of Shaw S Major Plays From Widowers Houses To Pygmalion, Come Under The Purview Of The Book, While The Plays Of Contemporaries Like Pinero, Jones And Oscar Wilde Have Been Discussed To Highlight The Contrast.More Interesting Are The Unknown Assertive Heroines Of Galsworthy S Middle And Late Plays From The Eldest Son And The Fugitive To The Skin Game. His Women Characters Remain In Oblivion Because Hardly Any Scholar Has Bothered To Study Them. Though Granville Barker Is Well-Known As A Critic And Director Of Shakespeare S Plays, His Own Plays With The New Woman As Heroine Still Remain Little Known In The Academic Circle. In The Conclusion The Bearing Of This Early Feminism Is Shown On The Feminist Playwrights Like Caryl Churchill, Pam Gems Et Al. Of The 1980S.It Is Hoped That The Present Book Will Prove An Asset To Those Who Have Keen Interest In English Drama. In Addition, The Students, Researchers And Teachers Of English Literature Will Find It An Ideal Reference Book.

At last an accessible and intelligent introduction to the energising and challenging relationship between feminism and theatre. In this clear and enlightening book, Aston discusses wide-ranging theoretical topics and provides case studies including: * Feminism and theatre history * `M/Othering the self': French feminist theory and theatre * Black women: shaping feminist theatre * Performing gender: a materialist practice * Colonial landscapes Feminist thought is changing the way theatre is taught and practised. An Introduction to Feminism and Theatre is compulsory reading for anyone who requires a precise, insightful and up-to-date guide to this dynamic field of study.

A practical guide to theatre-making designed to take the reader through the stages of making feminist theatre. Organised into three instructive parts; Women in the Workshop, Dramatic Texts, Feminist Contexts & Gender and Devising Projects.

The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary British Playwrights is an authoritative guide to the work of twenty-five playwrights who have risen to prominence since the 1980s. Written by an international team of scholars, it will be invaluable to anyone interested in, studying or teaching contemporary drama. Among the many playwrights whose work is examined are Sarah Daniels, Terry Johnson, Martin Crimp, Sarah Kane, Anthony Neilson, Mark Ravenhill, Simon Stephens, Debbie Tucker Green, Tanika Gupta and Richard Bean. Each essay features: A biographical sketch and introduction to the playwright A discussion of their most important plays An analysis of their stylistic and thematic traits, the critical reception and their place in the discourses of British theatre A bibliography of texts and critical material

This work is a timely contribution to the debates surrounding feminism, theatre and performance. The excellent, cross-generational mix of theatre scholars and practitioners engaging in lively, cutting-edge debates on critical topics make this essential reading for students and scholars in Theatre and Performance Studies as well as Gender Studies.