State of the Nation: British Theatre Since 1945

by Michael Billington

Michael Billington's new book looks at post-war Britain from a theatrical perspective. It examines the constant interplay between theatre and society from the resurgent optimism of the Attlee years to the satire boom of the Sixties and the growth of political theatre under Tony Blair in the post-Iraq period. Written by Britain's longest-serving theatre critic, the book also offers a passionate defence of the dramatist as the medium's key creative figure. Controversial, witty and informed, "State of the Nation" offers a fresh and challenging look at the vast upheavals that have taken place in Britain and its theatre in the course of sixty turbulent years.

Genres: Theatre, Nonfiction, History, Plays, British Literature

416 pages, Hardcover

First published November 5, 2009

Reviews

[Bizzy Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great overview of British theatre by one of the UKs best known critics. I dipped in and out of this book over the course of a good 18 months or so. It can be quite dry but Billington's personal opinions and experiences give the timeline an interesting angle and one I felt didn't affect the value of the information being shared. Personally I liked the focus on particular playwrights and pairings of directors and writers as its a progressive approach I too subscribe too. I am very much of the opinion that our future lies with our playwrights. Overall an interesting read and I would (and do) recommend to others.

[Salli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy reading this.

I'm not sure about some of its messages though. Did all theatrical innovation really end in the 1970s? Do we have to write about the State of the Nation to be a great playwright or can we write about the homely? There seemed to be an insistence on tying writing into politics, later chapters seemed to be more a history of politics than a book about theatre, (just search for play references on each page) though I can understand this in many ways. Maybe history has not yet been distilled out of everyday in the later decades he covers.

Subsidy allows dissent? I'm not sure, has dissent just moved out of the theatre? Not perhaps his theme and it would have made a huge book but I'm not sure it was more than noted as an aside.

Billington did successfully remind me why I should see the classic plays every decade but made me feel inadequete in the themes I address in writing.

[Waleed · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a history of London's non-commercial theatre 1945-2007 this is excellent. As a history of the whole of British Theatre in the period, much less so. The 'state of the nation' stuff (Suez, Profumo, Winter of Discontent, etc) is very familiar and possibly redundant. This book is also massively let down by Billington's weakness for innuendo and double-entendre.

[Bookthesp1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Billington has written this volume with an almost encyclopedic mastery of his material. His survey of post-war English theatre covers the period from 1945 up to around the end of the Blair/Brown years in 2008 (an afterword attempts to predict the future for theatre from 2008). Billington's views are not based on a trawl through the cuttings library but on his work as a theatre critic. He has seen many of the productions that he writes about adding value to the trenchant opinions that he expresses.
The juxtaposition with the changing political events and agendas of this lengthy period is brilliantly done so that theatre doesn't just hold a mirror up to nature but actively responds. Billington spends much time on the great national companies with verdicts on the different regimes- Too many musicals at the National under Trevor Nunn; the RSC a mess under Adrian Noble. Regional theatre and independent companies are also surveyed as are actors with some brilliant anecdotes. For Michael Billington writers were and are the lifeblood of the theatre and he spends much time on texts and ideas. Refreshingly his knowledge is so wide and varied that he discusses texts that would merit a footnote in other less respectful surveys. He is not afraid to defend contreversial pieces such as Saved by Edward Bond or to admit he initially got it wrong about Sarah kane and Blasted. His grasp of political events is often personal but he engages with a historical and political narrative with the freedom a historian might envy. All in all this is a very readable and intelligent book written with love and heart so that one would love an updated version to be issued in the years to come. Have his predictions about the "future" in 2008 come true and how does he feel now? Along with Richard Eyre's and Nicholas Wrights Changing Stages which covers a longer period this provides an almost definitive survey with the bonus of Billingtons own personal take- the writer is central- hence his love for Pinter and his consideration of theatrical auteurs such as Peter Gill.
Can we have an update Mr Billington? Encore Encore....please sir, I want some more.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent resource for theatre history. Billington did a great job of fitting the theatre within the social and political context of the time, so you could understand how the plays and the companies reflected larger ideas. I found the earlier part of the book more interesting as it looked more at different theatre groups and movements rather than simply at specific plays and playwrights. I found the parts about Joan Littlewood and the Theatre Workshop particularly interesting. I also enjoyed information about the start of the National Theatre and the RSC. Those two are both such institutions now it's funny to think how recently they've become part of our culture. Billington didn't just stick to the most famous plays but looked at smaller ones, and ones that failed as well as the big successes. He did a great job dismantling some of the myths about British theatre from this time. I borrowed a copy of this from the library but ended up needing to make so many notes for it that I bought my own copy.

[Jeff Howells · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history of post war British theatre that also looks at how politics has shaped the theatrical landscape and how playwrights & directors have reacted to the times they've lived through. It takes us from last hurrah of Rattigan & Coward through the seismic changes brought about by the likes of Osborne and up to the influential and socially conscious period exemplified by the Hytner era National Theatre. It vividly shows how the best theatre shouldn't just revisit the classics but should also investigate & question. Osborne did it, Pinter did it, Bennett & Hare still do it and there are a whole host of new writers that will continue to do it. It shows that theatres that put on challenging work can thrive not just when governments are against you & cut funding (Thatcher) but also when funding gets increased (Blair). The only regret, after finishing this book, is the fact that theatre going nowadays is usually so expensive that it's impossible to go to all the plays I want to.

[Mark Ludmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-informed, well-researched overview of British (mainly English and London) theatre from 1945 to 2006. It highlights key moods, moments and trends over the years, focusing on landmark plays and key writers, putting it all into the social and political context of the times. Especially following the development of institutions such as the National Theatre and the RSC, it also charts the changing theatrical landscape and funding. With a liberal perspective, Billington provides many insights drawn from his decades writing about theatre for the press including The Guardian.

[Ceilidh]

Michael Billington is the man who is going to save my dissertation!