Böcker av Benjamin Poore

Benjamin Poore argues that contemporary British playwriting that invokes history can be positioned on a spectrum that ranges from recovering untold stories, which offer an additional narrative to dominant understandings of history, to challenging the very foundations of historical knowledge itself.The Contemporary History Play asks what happens when a new mode of interpretation is applied to contemporary history plays and tracks the evolving uses of history in 21st-century playwriting across the UK.In the middle of this range sits a more experimental type of theatre - the liquid or porous postmodern history play - which experiments with form; de-emphasises narrative; collapses spaces and time; problematises traditional characterisation and heritage; debunks the notion of history as teaching lessons; and ultimately offers a counter narrative to history.Featuring a detailed consideration of 30 plays and productions, from Moira Buffini's Silence (1999) to Morgan Lloyd Malcolm's Emilia (2019), the book interrogates the work of playwrights such as Zinnie Harris, Moira Buffini, Rona Munro, Rory Mullarkey, DC Moore and Ella Hickson. It draws on original interviews and archival material held by organisations such as the V&A, Shakespeare's Globe, the Almeida, the RSC and the National Theatre and identifies a tradition of new writing over the past twenty years that has not been accounted for previously.

The stage portrayal of the Victorians in recent times is a key reference point in understanding notions of Britishness, and the profound politicisation of that debate over the last four decades. This book throws new light on works by canonical playwrights like Bond, Edgar, and Churchill, linking theatre to the wider culture at large.

The historical age of empires may be over, but empire, as an idea, continues to exercise a hold over our imaginations. This compelling examination of the relationship between theatre and empire begins with potential definitions and theories of empire, suggesting how we might think of these two notions together and how we might see empire itself as theatre. A variety of case studies are then used to explore theatre in light of both cultural and economic imperialism.