CRISIS: The Theatre Responds

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We live in times of crisis. How has the theatre responded? Has the theatre lived up to its essential purpose: to “hold up the mirror” to our turbulent times?

This book looks at the courageous responses from dozens of playwrights over the past hundred years, writing about urgent issues – from World War II to communism, apartheid, the AIDs epidemic, gay hate crime, urban race riots, conflict in the Middle East, Africa, and Afghanistan, systemic racism, immigrant identity, the refugee crisis, authoritarianism, failing educational systems, environmental peril, and, most recently, the pandemic. These dedicated writers (from four continents) and the theatres who support them have taken huge risks to heighten our awareness to the urgent issues of our times. This book will acknowledge the exciting new dramatic forms they have created, their heroic efforts, and the changes that they have provoked and continue to do so.