Modern British Playwriting: The 1980s equips readers with a fresh assessment of the theatre and principle playwrights and plays from a decade when political and economic forces were changing society dramatically. It offers a broad survey of the context and of the playwrights and companies such as Complicité and DV8 that rose to prominence at this time. Alongside this it provides a detailed examination based on fresh research of four of the most significant playwrights of the era and considers the influence they had on later work.The 1980s volume features a detailed study by four scholars of the work of four of the major playwrights who came to prominence: Howard Barker (by Sarah Goldingay), Jim Cartwright (David Lane), Sarah Daniels (Jane Milling) and Timberlake Wertenbaker (Sara Freeman). Essential for students of Theatre Studies, the series of six decadal volumes provides a critical survey and study of the theatre produced from the 1950s to 2009. Each volume features a critical analysis of the work of four key playwrights besides other theatre work from that decade, together with an extensive commentary on the period. Readers will understand the works in their contexts and be presented with fresh research material and a reassessment from the perspective of the twenty-first century. This is an authoritative and stimulating reassessment of British playwriting in the 1980s.

General Preface by series editors Richard Boon and Philip RobertsAcknowledgements Introduction to the 1980s Domestic life EducationCultureMediaScience, technology and industry Political events Theatre in the 1980s Thinking about the recent past Institutions, policies and funding New writing and playwrights in the 1980s Cultures of protest: issue as subject matter Present pasts Introducing the Playwrights Crafting careers Howard Barker Jim Cartwright Sarah Daniels Timberlake Wertenbaker Playwrights and Plays Howard Barker by Sarah Goldingay Jim Cartwright by David Lane Sarah Daniels by Jane Milling Timberlake Wertenbaker by Sara FreemanDocuments Howard Barker: Interview with Jane MillingJim Cartwright: In His Own WordsSarah Daniels: Interview with Jane MillingTimberlake Wertenbaker: In Her Own WordsAfterword Notes Select Bibliography Index Notes on Contributors