Statistics show that in the past decade, the key issues that have concerned the British population the most have consistently revolved around the economy, immigration, and health.
Unsurprisingly, concerns about each of these aspects have always peaked in response to the crises that were most prominent at their respective times. Thus, in 2015, during the European refugee crisis, the major concern was immigration; while a year later, after the Brexit referendum, immigration remained a significant issue in the eye of the British public, it was overshadowed by anxieties around the prospect of Britain leaving the EU; in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the population’s concerns around health took centre stage; and since 2022, with inflation hitting a 40-year-record alongside a rising cost of living and an ongoing housing crisis, the economy has once again become the dominant worry among the British population.
This seminar takes an interest in examining how these contemporary crises are brought on stage and to what extent theatre can be seen as an outlet or a platform for social and political criticism.
By exploring the works of contemporary playwrights like Carol Ann Duffy, Gilian Slovo, David Hare, and more, this seminar aims not only at re-visiting current crises in the UK, but also at introducing students to new techniques and genres employed in contemporary British theatre.
- Kursleiter/in: Christina Parigoridou