Modern French Drama 1940-1980 - Hardcover

Bradby, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 052126247X ISBN 13: 9780521262477

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1984

Synopsis

In the years since 1940, French theatre has been transformed both institutionally and artistically. This book compares all the major traditions and tendencies at work in French theatre since the outbreak of the Second World War, not only in Paris, but also in the Centres Dramatiques and Maisons de la Culture. Previous books have stopped short at the end of the fifties when the influence of Artaud was strong and the Absurd Theatre had become the new orthodoxy. David Bradby reassesses Beckett, lonesco, Adamov and Genet and challenges the notion that the sixties and seventies were a period of decline in French theatre. The book proceeds chronologically, offering a critical survey of the principal directors, actors and companies as well as of the playwrights, who are its major concern. Important productions are illustrated with black and white photographs. The political background is explained and all quotations are in English.

About this title

About the Author:

David Bradby is Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies and Dean of Arts at Royal Holloway, University of London. Awarded the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres (Republique Francaise) in 1997. He is a leading expert in the areas of modern theatre, especially French drama. He has translated plays by Bernard-Marie Koltes and Michel Vinaver and directed many productions with student casts, including the first English-language production of Pirandello's The Mountain Giants. His books include Mise en Scene: French Theatre Now, co-authored with Annie Sparks (Methuen, 1997); The Theatre of Michel Vinaver (Michigan University Press, 1993), Modern French Drama, 1940 1990 (Cambridge, 1991) and Director's Theatre, co-authored with David Williams (Macmillan, 1988). David Bradby is General Editor of the series Cambridge Studies in Modern Theatre.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1984
• ISBN 10: 052126247X
• ISBN 13: 9780521262477
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 308