Off-Broadway/Off-West End (ePub)

David Weinberg

“Off-Broadway/Off-West End: American Influence on the Alternative Theatre Movement in Britain 1956–1980 offers a fascinating insight into the evolution of British theatre during a twenty-five year period in the second half of the twentieth century. As well as charting the impact of key expats like Jim Haynes, Charles Marowitz, Nancy Meckler, and Ed Berman on the ecology of theatre-making across both the alternative and commercial sectors, it also demonstrates the wide-ranging influence of key US companies who visited Britain during these years. More than a study of how a particular generation of artists came to shape key movements and developments, this is a mode of understanding the unexpected configurations of encounters and intersections that shape theatrical landscapes. Its treatment of new writing initiatives, production strategies and understandings of the relationship between actor and performer, scripting and improvisation, and place and space provide new ways of thinking through the relationship between theatre, history, and memory. The result is an informative, original, and persuasively argued treatment of the ‘special relationship’ that brilliantly unsettles established histories of British theatre in the post-War years.”—Professor Maria M. Delgado, Director of Research, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London