Twenty-First Century Drama What Happens Now

What makes twenty-first century drama distinctive? Which events, themes, shifts, and paradigms are marking its stages? Within this landmark collection, original voices from the field of drama provide rich analysis of a selection of the most exciting and r

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edited by

siân adiseshiah and louise lepage

Twenty-First Century Drama

Siân Adiseshiah • Louise LePage Editors

Twenty-First Century Drama What Happens Now

Editors Siân Adiseshiah School of English and Journalism University of Lincoln United Kingdom

Louise LePage Department of Film, Theatre & Television University of Reading United Kingdom

ISBN 978-1-137-48402-4 ISBN 978-1-137-48403-1 DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-48403-1

(eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016936726 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016 The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identified as the author(s) of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Cover image © Cristiana Ceppas / Alamy Stock Photo Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Macmillan Publishers Ltd. London

For Lucien and Xanthe

CONTENTS

1

Introduction: What Happens Now Siân Adiseshiah and Louise LePage

Part 1 Beyond Postmodernism: Changing Perspectives on Drama 2 Room for Realism? Elaine Aston 3

Beyond Belief: British Theatre and the ‘re-enchantment of the world’ Chris Megson

1

15 17

37

4

The Emancipated Shakespeare: or, What You Will Stephen Bottoms

59

5

The Twenty-First-Century History Play Paola Botham

81

vii

viii

CONTENTS

Part 2 6

7

8

Austerity and Class Returns

Back to the Future: Gendering the Economy in Twenty-First-Century Drama Louise Owen

107

Translating Austerity: Theatrical Responses to the Financial Crisis Mark O’Thomas

129

‘Chavs’, ‘Gyppos’ and ‘Scum’? Class in Twenty-First-Century Drama Siân Adiseshiah

149

Part 3 Borders, Race, Nation 9

10

11

These Green and Pleasant Lands: Travellers, Gypsies and the Lament for England in Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem Nadine Holdsworth

173

175

‘Sexy Kilts with Attitude’: Scottish Theatre in  the Twenty-First Century Trish Reid

191

The Polit