Books in the Critical Companions series

British theatre from the first half of the twentieth century is undergoing a critical reevaluation, with many high-profile theatre revivals of plays from the period in recent years. This book explains why by an examination of the variety of work from this period and how it shaped what followed.

The Plays of Samuel Beckett provides a stimulating analysis of Beckett's entire dramatic oeuvre, encompassing his stage, radio and television plays. Ideal for students, this major study combines analysis of each play by Katherine Weiss with interveiws and essays from practitioners and scholars.

A Critical Companion to the theatre of Ireland's foremost living playwright, whose work spans fifty years and has won numerous awards, including three Tonys and a Lifetime Achievement Arts Award. Christopher Murray's study is the definitive guide to Brian Friel's work for students and theatre-goers alike.

A Critical Companion to one of Ireland's most famous, studied and controversial, playwrights, this provides a detailed exploration of O'Casey's oeuvre taking in his plays, autobiographical writing and essays. Special attention is paid to the Three Dublin Plays and the works in performance.

The Theatre of Harold Pinter offers a unique assesment of one of Britain's most influential dramatists, combining a chronological survey of Pinter's entire work for the stage with a series of incisive critical essays from leading scholars.

A Critical Companion to the four principle playwrights associated with the Irish Dramatic Revival - W. B. Yeats, J. M. Synge, Augusta Lady Gregory and Sean O'Casey - and to the birth of the Irish national theatre, the Abbey. Anthony Roche provides a reappraisal of the theatre movement led by Yeats and the work of the main practitioners.

Drawing on major new archival discoveries and recent research, Patrick Lonergan presents an innovative account of Irish drama and theatre, spanning the past seventy years. Rather than offering a linear narrative, the volume traces key themes to illustrate the relationship between theatre and changes in society. In considering internationalization, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Celtic Tiger period, feminism, and the changing status of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Lonergan asserts the power of theatre to act as an agent of change and uncovers the contribution of individual artists, plays and productions in challenging societal norms. Irish Drama and Theatre since 1950 provides a wide-ranging account of major developments, combined with case studies of the premiere or revival of major plays, the establishment of new companies and the influence of international work and artists, including Tennessee Williams, Chekhov and Brecht. While bringing to the fore some of the untold stories and overlooked playwrights following the declaration of the Irish Republic, Lonergan weaves into his account the many Irish theatre-makers who have achieved international prominence in the period: Samuel Beckett, Siobhán McKenna and Brendan Behan in the 1950s, continuing with Brian Friel and Tom Murphy, and concluding with the playwrights who emerged in the late 1990s, including Martin McDonagh, Enda Walsh, Conor McPherson, Marie Jones and Marina Carr. The contribution of major Irish companies to world theatre is also examined, including both the Abbey and Gate theatres, as well as Druid, Field Day and Charabanc. Through its engaging analysis of seventy years of Irish theatre, this volume charts the acts of gradual but revolutionary change that are the story of Irish theatre and drama and of its social and cultural contexts.

The Theatre and Films of Martin McDonagh provides a definitive account of the career to date of this important world dramatist. It combines an analysis of all of his work with interviews, critical essays and material relating to the original productions, making it essential for practitioners, students and general readers.

The Theatre of Tennessee Williams provides a stimulating analysis of the work of this giant of twentieth century American theatre whose work remains central to curriculums and theatre repertoires. It combines an analysis of all of his work by American scholar Brenda Murphy with interviews and a number of criticial essays.

Bertolt Brecht's silent Kattrin in Mother Courage, or the disability performance lessons of his Peachum in The Threepenny Opera; Tennessee Williams' limping Laura Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie and hard-of-hearing Bodey in A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur; Samuel Beckett's blind Hamm and his physically disabled parents Nagg and Nell in Endgame - these and many further examples attest to disability's critical place in modern drama. This Companion explores how disability performance studies and theatre practice provoke new debate about the place of disability in these works. The book traces the local and international processes and tensions at play in disability theatre, and offers a critical investigation of the challenges its aesthetics pose to mainstream and traditional practice. The book's first part surveys disability theatre's primary principles, critical terms, internal debates and key challenges to theatre practice. Examining specific disability theatre productions of modern drama, it also suggests how disability has been re-envisaged and embodied on stage. In the book's second part, leading disability studies scholars and disability theatre practitioners analyse and creatively re-imagine modern drama, demonstrating how disability aesthetics press practitioners and scholars to rethink these works in generative, valuable and timely ways.

This is a detailed study of the work of Britain's leading female playwright that will be invaluable for student and theatre-goers. It maps her work through five key areas that characterise her broad-ranging output, and includes a close study of seventeen of the principle plays. It also features a number of essays by leading scholars.