History in the Hands of the Contemporary Playwright 2000-2015: a Feminist Critique of Normative Historiography in British Theatre
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History in the hands of the Contemporary Playwright 2000-2015: a feminist critique of normative historiography in British theatre. Submitted by Rebecca Amy Fraser to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Drama in June 2017 This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Signature: ………………………………………………………….. Abstract Abstract Between 2000 and 2015 twelve of the UK’s leading producing theatres premiered twenty three plays by British playwrights where the action was set between 1882-1928. This historical period is significant; in 1882 the Married Women’s Property Act was passed and in 1928 equal enfranchisement for men and women was granted in the United Kingdom, hence, the historical period traces a shift in women’s rights from property ownership to the vote. This thesis investigates narratives within these plays and explores the development of a normative historiography that is drawn on, but predominantly left unquestioned, by playwrights as Britain’s past is reimagined. It is this normative historiography, operating in a theatrical context, which the thesis problematises and interrogates through the lens of contemporary British playwriting. This lens facilitates an exploration of the manner in which the representation of the past mirrors and/or challenges current feminist discourse and considers the cultural implications of the structures and techniques employed to retell women their history through this medium. Scholarship from the fields of academic and popular feminism, theatre studies, history and historiography shape the analytical framework of the thesis. Drawing on literature from these fields, this study conducts historically informed performance analysis that seeks to discover the sociocultural work done by contemporary plays that engage with the past. Archives of thirty British theatres have been surveyed to produce a database of plays that fall within the project boundaries; working with this data, trends and recurring themes have been identified, and subsequently chapters have been shaped to investigate dramaturgical questions in response to the field research. The dramaturgical questions explore: recurring modes of representation in plays that reimagine World War One; the representation of opposition in depictions of historical conflict; the retelling of specific historical narratives in relation to the challenge of staging ideas; and the recurrence of the heteronormative romantic plot. - 3 - Abstract This thesis argues that when the playwright interrogates the normative dramaturgies and tropes they have inherited for historical representation, they assumes the role of historiographer and from this self-reflexive position recurring theatrical conventions for retelling the past are challenged. This perspective shifts attention beyond central patriarchal narratives of the past and facilitates engagement with the multiple avenues of enquiry regarding a historical moment. Engagement with the work of playwrights who foreground a historiographic awareness in their process, further illuminates the dialogue between representations of women in a historical context and contemporary feminist debate. - 4 - Acknowledgements Acknowledgments I am sincerely grateful to my supervisors, whose guidance, wisdom and generous conversation has shaped and enriched the journey of this thesis. My thanks to Kate Newey, for invaluable direction, inspiration and support, for always knowing when to push and when to encourage. To Jane Milling, for insightful input as a second supervisor, for help with my PhD proposal and for opening the door to a life- changing world of feminist discourse when I was a wide-eyed first year undergraduate. And to Patrick Duggan, for his instrumental and thought-provoking supervision in the first year of this project. My gratitude to the Arts and Humanities Research Council and University of Exeter for giving me the opportunity to undertake this research. I am grateful to the Almeida Theatre Archive, National Theatre Archive, Northern Broadsides, Shakespeare Centre Library & Archive and Shakespeare’s Globe Library & Archive for access to performance recordings and scripts. Thanks to Natalie McGrath, playwright and Co- Director of Dreadnought South West, for a recording of her play Oxygen and information regarding the company’s pilgrimage. The opportunity to meet and interview playwrights has been a particular joy in this experience and my sincere thanks go to Jessica Swale, Deborah McAndrew and Rebecca Lenkiewicz for their time and invaluable insight. Huge thanks are due to all of the Drama Department staff at Exeter, for a decade of great conversation and community, while continually taking my thinking to new places. The brilliant postgraduate community in the Drama Department has made this experience particularly special. My thanks to Becca, Eda, Jon, Nora, Evelyn and Will, who have provided friendship and support as we have walked together. A special thanks to Kate and Janine who have been there at every junction. And to Sharanya, for wisdom, advice and enthusiasm in abundance. I am extremely grateful for the support of my family and friends. To all who have asked how it is going and lovingly listened to the answer; it has taken a village. Coming - 5 - Acknowledgements from an extended family of encouragement, interest and a genuine desire to talk about my work has been a real gift. Great thanks are due to my parents for their many and varied forms of support. Being raised by teachers came with the joy of being encouraged to explore, question and discuss at every opportunity. Such stimulation, usually around the meal table, played a big part in the undertaking of this venture. Thanks to my Mum, for her unwavering encouragement and positivity, for checking in on the tough days and delighting in the good ones; thanks to your example I never doubted my potential to have a career. To my Dad, for taking me seriously when aged nineteen I first uttered an interest in pursuing a PhD, for helping and inspiring me at every hurdle, for remaining enthusiastic when I found it impossible to be, and for the delight of Monday teatime. Lastly, my heartfelt thanks to Theo, who has graciously lived through the day to day highs and lows of this project, listening, loving and supporting at every moment. Your friendship and amazing cooking has got me through. But thank you, most of all, for your shared love of theatre that makes life with you all the more precious. - 6 - Contents Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................... 5 List of Figures .......................................................................................................... 11 Introductory Chapter .............................................................................................. 13 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 13 Dual Timeframes .................................................................................................... 14 Initial Premise and Research Questions ................................................................... 17 Methodology ............................................................................................................ 18 Development of the Argument ................................................................................. 22 Literature Review ....................................................................................................... 26 Theatre Studies ....................................................................................................... 26 Audience Studies .................................................................................................... 31 Feminism ............................................................................................................... 35 History and Theatre Studies.................................................................................... 43 The Heritage Debate .............................................................................................. 46 Authenticity at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre ........................................................... 48 Historiography and Historical Representation .......................................................... 52 History of the Period ............................................................................................... 56 Chapter One The Wartime Woman: the impact of the centenary year on theatrical representations of World War One. ............................................. 59 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 59 Recurring Modes of Representation in Centenary Plays ...................................... 67 Dramaturgy of the Female Narrative ...................................................................... 70 The Mother Figure ................................................................................................