David Greig has been described as 'one of the most interesting and adventurous British dramatists of his generation' (Daily Telegraph) and 'one of the most intellectually stimulating dramatists around' (Guardian). Since he began writing for theatre in the early nineties, his work has been both copious and remarkably varied, defying neat generalisations or attempts to pigeon-hole his work. Besides his original plays, he has adapated classics, is co-founder of the Suspect Culture Theatre Group and is currently Dramaturge for the National Theatre of Scotland. This Critical Companion provides an analytical survey of his work, from his early plays such as Europe and The Architect through to more recent works Damascus, Dunsinane and Ramallah; it also considers the plays produced with Suspect Culture and his work for young audiences. As such it is the first book to provide a critical account of the full variety of his work and will appeal to students and fans of contemporary British theatre.Clare Wallace provides a detailed analysis of a broad selection of plays and their productions, reviews current discourses about his work and offers a framework for enquiry. The Companion features an interview with David Greig and a further three essays by leading academics offering a variety of critical perspectives.
Clare Wallace is Senior Lecturer in Irish and British Literature and Irish and Intercultural Studies at Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. She is a contributor to the two volumes The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary Irish and British Playwrights and author of Suspect Cultures: Narrative, Identity and Citation in 1990s New Drama.
Introduction1 Suspect Culture2 Lesson PlaysEurope, Stalinland, Petra, Dr Korczak's Example, The Architect, Yellow Moon, Monster in the Hall, Fragile, Letter of Last Resort3 ScotlandCaledonia Dreaming, Victoria, Outlying Islands, Midsummer (a play with songs), Dunsinane, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart4 GlobalizationThe Speculator, The Cosmonaut's Last Message, San Diego, Pyrenees 5 East/WestThe American Pilot, Damascus, The Miniskirts of Kabul, Ramallah, Not About Pomegranates6 PerspectivesDavid Greig in conversationMarilena Zaroulia (University of Winchester) 'Geographies of the Imagination' in David Greig's Theatre: Mobility, Globalization and European IdentitiesDavid Pattie (University of Chester) 'Who's Scotland?': David Greig, Identity, and Scottish NationhoodDirectors' cuts:Philip Howard (formerly Traverse Theatre, University of Glasgow)Wils Wilson (National Theatre of Scotland)Guy Hollands (formerly TAG and the Citizens Theatre)Vicky Featherstone (formerly National Theatre of Scotland, Royal Court Theatre)ConclusionResourcesChronologyFurther readingBibliographyNotesIndexNotes on Contributors
Clare Wallace’s The Theatre of David Greig is a finely researched book that offers the first comprehensive account of the full range of the Scottish dramatist David Greig’s expansive theatre output over the past twenty years. It is impressively rich in detail and broad in scope ... Each chapter in this book is imaginatively assembled, painstakingly researched and richly illustrated with examples from cultural theory as well as the plays ... [It] is impressively authoritative and never less than an intellectually stimulating read about a very important Scottish, British and international playwright.