Modernism and Scottish Theatre since 1969

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvii

   PDF

2. Preface: Defining Our Terms

   • Mark Brown

   Pages 1-27

3. Introduction

   • Mark Brown

   Pages 29-49

4. “My Wife Glimpsed a Testicle!”: The Citizens Theatre Since 1969

   • Mark Brown

   Pages 51-90

5. Communicado and “Popular Experimentalism”

   • Mark Brown

   Pages 91-112

6. Interviews with Five Theatremakers

   • Mark Brown

   Pages 113-203

7. The National Theatre of Scotland: Mapping onto the Landscape

   • Mark Brown

   Pages 205-224

8. Conclusion: The Future of a Renaissance

   • Mark Brown

   Pages 225-236

9. Back Matter

   Pages 237-254

   PDF

This book argues that Scottish theatre has, since the late 1960s, undergone an artistic renaissance, driven by European Modernist aesthetics. Combining detailed research and analysis with exclusive interviews with ten leading figures in modern Scottish drama, the book sets out the case for the last half-century as the strongest period in the history of the Scottish stage. Mark Brown traces the development of Scottish theatre’s Modernist revolution from the arrival of influential theatre director Giles Havergal at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow in 1969 through to the advent of the National Theatre of Scotland in 2006. Finally, the book contemplates the future of Scotland’s theatrical renaissance. It is essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary theatre and/or the modern history of live drama in Scotland.

• European Modernism
• Giles Havergal
• Citizens Theatre
• David Greig
• Royal Lyceum Theatre
• Vicky Featherstone
• National Theatre of Scotland
• Zinnie Harris

“Every page of Mark Brown's excellent book sings with his passion for his subject. His research is meticulous and his arguments set out with clarity, but this is no dry-as-a-bone treatise. He illuminates every chapter with the same readability and breadth of knowledge he brings to his award-winning work as a theatre critic. Reading his book opened my mind to a whole new way of thinking about how we make theatre in Scotland.” (Maureen Beattie, actor)

“Mark Brown’s argument, regarding what he terms the ‘European Modernist renaissance’ in Scottish theatre, is compelling and persuasive. Every sentence is written with a clear passion and enthusiasm for its subject. The lively, in-depth interviews with the ‘golden generation’ of Scotland’s dramatists, alongside the author’s engaging writing style, make this an immensely readable book.” (Brian Ferguson, actor) 

“Mark Brown has given us a very well-directed and perceptive exploration of the issues salient to the trajectory of contemporary Scottish theatre. Rooted in serious, conceptual thinking and rigorous, largely original research, this book is a combination of scholarship and hard-won clarity of thought. Highly recommended for all undergraduate and graduate collections.” (Professor Savas Patsalidis, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece)

“A thorough, insightful and entertaining window into the most creatively fertile period in Scottish theatre history. Brown illuminates his subject with passion, authority and infectious narrative flair.” (Allan Radcliffe, writer and theatre critic, The Times)

 

• Glasgow, Scotland, UK

  Mark Brown

Mark Brown is theatre critic of the Scottish national newspaper the Sunday Herald and Scottish critic of the UK national title the Daily Telegraph. He teaches regularly at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and is a guest lecturer at the University of St Andrews and other universities. He holds a doctorate in Theatre Studies from the University of Dundee.

Policies and ethics