Abstract
A major thrust behind political theatre in Britain has always been against the ‘apolitical’ or ‘Establishment’ tone of the plays presented in the West End. The drawing-room settings automatically excluded portrayals of members of the working class except as domestic servants, and the talk which took place within these rooms steered clear of political controversies — a policy induced by both the Lord Chamberlain and his Examiner of Plays, and by the self-censorship of managers who took care not to offend their clientele.
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References
Henry Pelling, A History of British Trade Unionism (London: Penguin, 1976) p. 296.
Catherine Itzin, Stages in the Revolution (London: Eyre Methuen, 1980) p. 12.
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Quoted in Cecil Davies, Theatre for the People: the Story of the Volksbughne (Manchester University Press, 1977) p. 5.
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© 1987 Andrew Davies
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Davies, A. (1987). Political Theatre in Britain Since the 1960s. In: Other Theatres. Communications and Culture. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-18723-2_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-18723-2_10
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