The Cambridge Companion to British Theatre since 1945

JEN HARVIE is Professor of Contemporary Theatre and Performance at Queen Mary University of London. Her books include Fair Play – Art, Performance and Neoliberalism (2013), Staging the UK (2005), and The Routledge Companion to Theatre and Performance (2nd ed. 2014). She co-edits the book series Theatre &. DAN REBELLATO is Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Royal Holloway University of London. His books include 1956 and All That (1999), Modern British Playwriting 2000-2009 (2013), and Playwriting (2023). He co-edits the book series Theatre &. His many plays include Static and Chekhov in Hell.

• Introduction: Jen Harvie and Dan Rebellato; Part I. Theatre Makers: 1. Playwrights: collectivity and collaboration Dan Rebellato; 2. Directors: organisation, authorship and social production Tom Cornford; 3. Actors: a history of service Aoife Monks; Part II: Theatre Sectors: 4. West end and commercial theatre: crisis, change and continuity Rachel Clements; 5. Subsidised theatre: strength, elitism, metropolitanism, racism Jen Harvie; 6. The fringe: the rise and fall of radical alternative theatre Dan Rebellato and Jen Harvie; Part III. Theatre Communities: 7. Audiences: ownership, interaction, agency Helen Freshwater; 8. Black British theatre: blackouts and spotlights Vanessa Damilola Macaulay; 9. Queer theatre: reclaiming histories, historicising, and hope Sarah Jane Mullan; Part IV. Theatre and State: 10. Government, policy and censorship in post-war British theatre Louise Owen; 11. Buildings and the political economy of theatre financing in Britain Michael Mckinnie; 12. Regions and nations: the myth of levelling up Trish Reid; Acknowledgments.

'Harvie and Rebellato's comprehensive assessment of postwar British theatre is highly readable and superbly researched. This is an essential tool for students, scholars, and artists interested in understanding the 'offstage' stories shaping British postwar performance.' Kim Solga, University of Western Ontario