The Golden Generation - New Light on Post-War British Theatre
Edited by Dominic Shellard
Publication date: 8 September 2008
On 8 September 2008, the British Library publishes a new book exploring a golden age of British theatre, from the end of the Second World War in 1945 to the abolition of theatre censorship in 1968. The Golden Generation features essays focusing on some of the key figures of this period, including John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier and Ian Richardson, drawn from evidence uncovered during the Theatre Archive Project (2003 – 2008), a British Library and University of Sheffield collaboration, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. www.bl.uk/theatrearchive
The publication ties in with a new exhibition in The Folio Society Gallery at the British Library. The Golden Generation: New Light on British Theatre 1945 – 1968 is open 27 August – 30 November 2008.
In this new review of post-war British theatre, Professor Dominic Shellard of the University of Sheffield and his fellow contributors unearth authentic testimony and fresh archival evidence drawn from the post-war theatre collections at the British Library. Spanning the pivotal years 1945 to 1968, The Golden Generation explores the explosive new shifts in perspective, drama, genre, style and performance, ranging from New Wave to 'illegitimate' Variety theatre, from cutting-edge Theatre Workshop, to the 'made for TV' plays and avant-garde acting of the 1960s and 1970s.
Taking the viewpoint that the 'best witness is always local', The Golden Generation dips in and out of the vibrant interviews and personal views of the theatrical stars, literati and fans who lived through the 'swinging' times. The reader hears an extraordinary variety of vivid recollections, not just from West End glitterati, such as Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud, but from keen local repertory fans, budding actors and 'hot' young playwrights.
Illustrated with more than 30 evocative sketches, letters and photographs, many rarely seen, The Golden Generation offers an absorbing and uniquely holistic view of one of the most vibrant periods of British theatre.
For further information, review copies, images or interviews, please contact Ruth Howlett at the British Library Press Office: +44 (0)20 7412 7112 or ruth.howlett@bl.uk
Notes for Editor
The Golden Generation: New Light on Post-War British Theatre, edited by Dominic Shellard, is published in hardback by the British Library on 8 September 2008. Price £20.00, 224 pages, 234 x 156 mm, 30 black & white illustrations, ISBN 978 0 7123 4947 5. Available from the British Library Shop (tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7735 / e-mail: bl-bookshop@bl.uk) and online at www.bl.uk/shop as well as other bookshops throughout the UK. Distributed in North America by Chicago University Press
Dominic Shellard is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for External Affairs at the University of Sheffield. Principal publications include Kenneth Tynan: A Life (Yale, 2003), British Theatre in the 1950s, ed. (Sheffield Academic Press, 2000), British Theatre Since the War (Yale, 1999), and William Shakespeare (British Library, 1998).
Free exhibition The Golden Generation: New Light on British Theatre 1945 – 1968 is open from 27 August – 30 November in The Folio Society Gallery at the British Library.