British Theatre and the Great War, 1914 - 1919

British Theatre and the Great War examines how theatre in its various forms adapted itself to the new conditions of 1914-1918. Contributors discuss the roles played by the theatre industry. They draw on a range of source materials to show the different kinds of theatrical provision and performance cultures in operation not only in London but across parts of Britain and also in Australia and at the Front. As well as recovering lost works and highlighting new areas for investigation (regional theatre, prison camp theatre, troop entertainment, the threat from film, suburban theatre) the book offers revisionist analysis of how the conflict and its challenges were represented on stage at the time and the controversies it provoked. The volume offers new models for exploring the topic in an accessible, jargon-free way, and it shows how theatrical entertainment of the time can be seen as the`missing link' in the study of First World War writing.

Autorentext

Andrew Maunder is Reader in Victorian Literature in the School of Humanities at the University of Hertfordshire, UK. He is the author of books including The British Short Story (with Emma Liggins and Ruth Robbins, 2010) and has written widely on First World War literature and culture. He is the co-ordinator of the World War One Theatre Project based at the University of Hertfordshire which revives war-time drama for modern audiences.

Claire Cochrane, University of Worcester, UKKatharine Cockin, University of Hull, UKSos Eltis, Oxford University, UKVictor Emeljanow, University of Newcastle, AustraliaSimon Featherstone, De Montfort University, UKAilsa Grant Ferguson, University of Brighton, UKViv Gardner, University of Manchester, UK Emma Hanna, University of Greenwich, UKAnselm Heinrich, University of Glasgow, UKVeronica Kelly, University of Queensland, UKMargaret Leask, University of Sydney, AustraliaSteve Nicholson, University of Sheffield, UK

Inhalt

1. Introduction: Rediscovering the Theatre of the First World War; Andrew Maunder
   PART I: MOBILISATION AND PROPAGANDA
   
   2. 'This Unhappy Nation': War on the Stage in 1914; Steve Nicholson
   3. Reclaiming Shakespeare. 1914-1918; Anselm Heinrich
   4. On the edge of town: Melodrama and Suburban Theatre in Brixton, 1915; Andrew Maunder
      PART II: WOMEN AND WAR
   5. 'From sex-war to factory floor': Theatrical Depictions of Women's Work during the First World War; Sos Eltis
   6. Edith Craig and The Pioneer Players: London's International Art Theatre in a `Khaki-clad and Khaki-minded World'; Katharine Cockin
   7. `A Sweet Tribute to Her Memory': War-time Edith Cavell Plays and Films; Veronica Kelly
      PART III: POPULAR THEATRE
   8. ''The Theatre of the Flappers?: Gender, Spectatorship and the 'womanisation' of Theatre 1914-1918'; Viv Gardner
   9. `[N]o more jokes'?: Metropolitan Music Hall and Variety Theatre; Simon Featherstone
   10. British Cinema, Regulation and the War Effort ; Emma Hanna
       PART IV: ALTERNATIVE SPACES
   11. A City's Toys: Theatre in Birmingham 1914-1918; Claire Cochrane
   12. Entertaining the Anzacs: Performance for and by Australian and New Zealand troops on leave in London, 1916-1919; Ailsa Grant-Ferguson
   13. Lena Ashwell: Touring Concert Parties and Arts Advocacy, 1914-1919; Margaret Leask.
   14. Palliative Pantomimes: Entertainment in Prisoner-of-war Camps; Victor Emeljanow
       Bibliography
       Index