Staging New Britain

Theatre in Britain today is composed of many strands ranging from the postmodern, in-yer-face, musical and dance theatre forms or performance art and media work to the contemporary productions of classical playwrights. In the aftermath of Empire or, as it is often termed, the «post-colonial» world, British theatre in all these forms has also developed through the rich and vibrant contribution of those who, from necessity or choice, have come to Britain as migrants, and of their children of the second and third generations.

This book is primarily concerned with giving a voice to some of these Black and South Asian theatre practitioners who tell their own stories while at the same time they, and others, describe the conditions in which they work. The editors have been careful to encourage the expression of different viewpoints. Indeed varying interpretations of such terms as «multicultural», «gender-based» or even «Black» and «British» can be found. The result is an extraordinarily diverse picture of today's Black and South Asian British theatre practitioners but also of their companies and their relations with traditional institutions.