Overview
- This is the first critical study of black British women's theatre to centre unpublished playscripts and other archival materials, many of which have not previously been studied in print
- Focuses on theatrical form, tracing how selected companies, practitioners and playwrights have creatively responded to racism and sexism
- Builds on the pioneering monographs by Gabriele Griffin (2003) and Lynette Goddard (2007), heralding a timely shift towards examining and enjoying the depths of this rich field
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Table of contents (7 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
This book marks a significant methodological shift in studies of black British women’s theatre: it looks beyond published plays to the wealth of material held in archives of various kinds, from national repositories and themed collections to individuals’ personal papers. It finds there a cache of unpublished manuscripts and production recordings distinctive for their non-naturalistic aesthetics. Close analysis of selected works identifies this as an intersectional feminist creative practice.
Chapters focus on five theatre companies and artists, spanning several decades: Theatre of Black Women (1982-1988), co-founded by Booker Prize-winning writer Bernardine Evaristo; Munirah Theatre Company (1983-1991); Black Mime Theatre Women’s Troop (1990-1992); Zindika; and SuAndi. The book concludes by reflecting on the politics of representation, with reference to popular postmillennial playwright debbie tucker green.
Drawing on new interviews with the playwrights/practitionersand their peers, this book assembles a rich, interconnected, and occasionally corrective history of black British women’s creativity. By reproducing 22 facsimile images of flyers, production programmes, photographs and other ephemera, Black British Women’s Theatre: Intersectionality, Archives, Aesthetics not only articulates a hidden history but allows its readers their own encounter with the fragile record of this vibrant past.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Black British Women's Theatre
Book Subtitle: Intersectionality, Archives, Aesthetics
Authors: Nicola Abram
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51459-4
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2020
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-51458-7Published: 13 October 2020
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-51461-7Published: 13 October 2021
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-51459-4Published: 12 October 2020
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 264
Number of Illustrations: 24 b/w illustrations
Topics: Contemporary Theatre, Performers and Practitioners, National/Regional Theatre and Performance, Theatre History, Theatre Industry, Theatre Direction and Production