Dreams and Deconstructions: Alternative Theatre in Britain

Dreams and Deconstructions is an illustrated account of the development of alternative theatre in Britain over the past 20 years or so. It assesses the achievements of political theatre, the impact of feminism, the expansion of community and 'ethnic' theatre, and the growth of the important but often neglected areas of theatre-in-education and children's theatre. The books also surveys the work of the performance art groups and the actor-based workshops, looks at lunch-time theatre, the new fringe venues and the regional reps, and considers the benefits and constraints of public patronage. Significantly, it turns the spotlight on that new generatoin of angry young playrights to emerge after the watershed year of 1968 0 writers such as Howard Brenton, David Hare, Snoo Wilson and David Edgar - whoe work is central to any discussion of alternative theatre. Alternate theatre has redefined the relationship between theatre and society and has een openly, politically critical of the social democratic process. It has challenged the traditional ideologies of the established commercial and subsidized theatres and has attempted to find different audiences that and new forms of dramatic expressions. Dreams and Deconstruction is the first book to seek to understand and analyse that process f refefinition, which has been, arguable, the more exciting development in British theatre in recent years.