British theatre, 1895–1946: art, entertainment, audiences – an introduction

Kennedy, Dennis

doi:10.1017/chol9780521651325.002

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 55 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Her account of the 'assertive regionalism' and nationalism of the repertory movements of such centres as Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester, and Birmingham supports my assertion of the wide transnational agency of the 'provinces'. 33 It was the Manchester Gaiety too that was to see the foundation by Annie Horniman and Ben Payne of England's first repertory company in 1907, 34 while Melbourne's Reper tory Theatre Company was initiated by Gregan McMahon in 1911. The Courtneidge Shakespeare seasons helped to model at least a forerunner of the star-free ensemble principle organized around, if not a modern repertory, a single-playwright repertoire.…”

Section: Casting Ensemble Shakespearementioning

confidence: 99%

North Star and Southern Cross: Shakespeare's Comedies in Australia, 1903–1904

Kelly¹

2010

New Theatre Quarterly

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Michael Gow's celebrated play Away (1986) commences with a tatty school version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Set in the era of anti-Vietnam War protests, Away ironically salutes the iconic performance traditions of the ‘romantic’ Dream. At the Prince's Theatre, Manchester, in 1901–02, actor-manager Robert Courtneidge directed elaborate productions of this play and As You Like It, and under the management of George Musgrove toured them to Australia, where Twelfth Night was added. These productions' ensemble casting was central to Courtneidge's and Musgrove's ambitions for addressing the ‘distinctive geographies’ of regional taste. Veronica Kelly is an Honorary Research Advisor at the University of Queensland. Her book The Empire Actors: Stars of Australasian Costume Drama 1890s–1920s is published by Currency House (2010).

show abstract

Section: Casting Ensemble Shakespearementioning

confidence: 99%

North Star and Southern Cross: Shakespeare's Comedies in Australia, 1903–1904

Kelly¹

2010

New Theatre Quarterly

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Theatre in Britain during the Second World War

Heinrich¹

2010

New Theatre Quarterly

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this article Anselm Heinrich argues for a renewed interest in and critical investigation of theatre in Britain during the Second World War, a period neglected by researchers despite the radical changes in the cultural landscape instigated during the war. Concentrating on CEMA (the Council for Encouragement of Music and the Arts) and the introduction of subsidies, the author discusses and evaluates the importance and effects of state intervention in the arts, with a particular focus on the demands put on theatre and its role in society in relation to propaganda, nation-building, and education. Anselm Heinrich is Lecturer in Theatre Studies at the University of Glasgow. He is the author of Entertainment, Education, Propaganda: Regional Theatres in Germany and Britain between 1918 and 1945 (2007), and with Kate Newey and Jeffrey Richards has co-edited a collection of essays on Ruskin, the Theatre, and Victorian Visual Culture (2009). Other research interests include émigrés from Nazi-occupied Europe, contemporary German theatre and drama, and national theatres.

show abstract

The Uses of Richard III : from Robert Cecil to Richard Nixon

Aune¹

2006

shb

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article examines the figure and function of Richard as a 'tool for political commentary' from the early modern period to the 20th Century. Aune begins by analysing a sample of early modern vernacular works, which negatively links the character to Robert Cecil. An over-arching theme is identified: Francis Bacon's notion of physical and moral goodness being intertwined. Aune proposes that this is embodied by the play as a whole as time goes on. Largely, history plays resist innovation, unlike tragedies and comedies and Richard III appeared to have stagnated. However in the 20 th Century, interpretations of the character, like those of John Laurie and Laurence Olivier, began to invoke references to Hitler and Mussolini, reflecting the rise of fascism in continental Europe. Aune then turns to 1970s U.S.A., discussing Al Pacino's Richard, and how the character was used to engage with political events, such as Richard Nixon's re-election. Upon his resignation however, the connection was severed. Nonetheless, the character Richard has transcended the historical figure, embodying new rhizomatic connections to 20 th Century fascist dictators when presented to a postwar audience.

show abstract

British theatre, 1895–1946: art, entertainment, audiences – an introduction

Cited by 3 publications

References 55 publications

North Star and Southern Cross: Shakespeare's Comedies in Australia, 1903–1904

North Star and Southern Cross: Shakespeare's Comedies in Australia, 1903–1904

Theatre in Britain during the Second World War

The Uses of Richard III : from Robert Cecil to Richard Nixon

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About