UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER A front line analysis of controversy and censorship in contemporary British theatre. Tamzin Sallis ORCID Number: 0000-0002-9007-4753 Doctor of Philosophy 8th May 2019 The wordcount is 90,328 This Thesis has been completed as a requirement for a postgraduate research degree of the University of Winchester Declaration, Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights Statement Declaration: No portion of the work referred to in the Thesis has been submitted in support of an application for another degree or qualification of this or any other university or other institute of learning. I confirm that this Thesis is entirely my own work. I confirm that no work previously submitted for credit has been reused verbatim. Any previously submitted work has been revised, developed and recontextualised relevant to the thesis. I confirm that no material of this thesis has been published in advance of its submission. I confirm that no third party proof-reading or editing has been used in this thesis. Copyright: © Tamzin Sallis 2019, A front line analysis of controversy and censorship in contemporary British theatre. University of Winchester PhD Thesis, pp 1-248. ORCID 0000-0002-9007-4753. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. Copies (by any process) either in full, or of extracts, may be made only in accordance with instructions given by the author. Details may be obtained from the RKE Centre, University of Winchester. This page must form part of any such copies made. Further copies (by any process) of copies made in accordance with such instructions may not be made without the permission (in writing) of the author. No profit may be made from selling, copying or licensing the author’s work without further agreement. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from this source may be published without proper acknowledgement. 1 Dedications and Acknowledgements I am indebted to the University of Winchester for generously sponsoring this thesis with a studentship award. Special thanks and appreciation to my supervisor Dr Stevie Simkin, an inspirational mentor and stalwart support throughout this project. Your composure and encouragement have made this a privileged and rewarding experience. Thanks to Dr Helen Grime, my second supervisor, for investing time into developing me as a researcher, lecturer and challenging me in a way that has always been positive and constructive. Thank you to my third supervisor, Dr Marilena Zaroulia for staying so connected to the work and challenging me throughout, in spite of a break for maternity leave in the middle. Your encyclopaedic awareness of important contemporary theatre debates has really been appreciated. I am grateful for the generous contributions made by my interviewees and industry colleagues, including Nadia Latif, Purni Morell, Donald Hutera, Nina Segal, Ciaran Cunningham, Katharine James, Rachel Dudley, Hanna Slättne, Stewart Pringle and those who have remained anonymous. Thank you to Professor Inga Bryden, Dr Judith McCullouch, Kay Carter, Helen Jones, Carol Dunbar, Professor Jude Davies, Dr Nicola Puckey, Dr Neil Ewan, Alys Cummings, Polly Rowe and Charlotte Barber for the contributions that have been made. A final thanks to my family members George, Sophia, Olivia Sallis and Dr Keith and Diana Paskins for offering me the time and encouragement to complete this journey. 2 UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER Abstract A front line analysis of controversy and censorship in contemporary British theatre. Tamzin Sallis ORCID Number: 0000-0002-9007-4753 Doctor of Philosophy May 2019 This thesis offers a snapshot of contemporary British theatre censorship between 2015 and 2017. Drawing on Zygmunt Bauman's theories about liquid modernity, I delineate a range of scholarly discourses on censorship. I propose a more precise term, ‘liquid censorship’, which acknowledges the various, shape-shifting forms that censorship can take as well as the invisible power that drives decisions to regulate or otherwise inhibit freedom of artistic expression. The research brings together a range of sources from theatre scholarship and qualitative interviews to freedom of information requests, industry reports and press reviews or reports. This is supplemented by insights gleaned from a sample of repertoire data captured between 2016 and 2017 from 34 theatres across the 12 key regions of the UK. I investigate the significance of shifts in society and describe how these influence localised acts of liquid censorship. The spotlight is placed on controversial productions that incorporate the figure of the child in dangerous circumstances, either as performers, narrative focus, or both. My case studies include the National Youth Theatre's Homegrown which was censored in 2015, Milo Rau's Five Easy Pieces for Campo theatre in Ghent which toured to the Unicorn Theatre in 2018 having been cancelled in Manchester the previous year, and Out of Joint’s revival of Andrea Dunbar’s Rita Sue and Bob Too, which was first cancelled and then reinstated at the Royal Court Theatre in 2017. Exploring the relationship between theatre spaces, society and audiences, my thesis uncovers the less visible pressures that influence programming decisions in Britain, such as social media, politics and funding, artistic leadership, security and the preservation of public order, clarifying how the processes of liquid censorship operate in this context. Keywords: [Censorship, Controversy, Contemporary Theatre, Liquid Modernity, Social Media] 3 Table of Contents Declaration, Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights Statement ..................................................... 1 Dedications and Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... 2 Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. 3 Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................. 4 List of Tables .......................................................................................................................................... 5 List of Figures ......................................................................................................................................... 5 List of Charts .......................................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 1 - Literature Review .............................................................................................................. 16 Chapter 2 - Methodology .................................................................................................................... 41 Chapter 3 - Contemporary British Theatre Repertoire ........................................................................ 62 Chapter 4 - The Censorship of the National Youth Theatre’s Homegrown (2015) .............................. 86 Chapter 5 - Five Easy Pieces (2016) and the Censorship of Controversial Repertoire Involving Child Actors ................................................................................................................................................. 124 Chapter 6 - Rita, Sue and Bob Too (2017) - Contemporary Theatre in the #MeToo Era ................... 158 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 182 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................................... 195 Appendices ........................................................................................................................................ 217 Appendix 1 - Theatre Sample ........................................................................................................ 217 Appendix 2 - Interview Sample List ............................................................................................... 218 Appendix 3 - Sample Interview Questions .................................................................................... 218 Appendix 4 - Theatre Content Warnings Data Sheets ................................................................... 219 Appendix 5 - Interview Transcript: Nadia Latif .............................................................................. 224 Appendix 6 - Interview Transcript: Nina Segal .............................................................................. 237 Appendix 7 - Interview Transcript: Purni Morell ........................................................................... 248 Appendix 8 - Urgent Msg from Paul .............................................................................................. 260 Appendix 9 - Freedom of Information Response From Manchester City Council Licensing Department ................................................................................................................................... 262 4 Appendix 10 – Facebook Comment from IIPM about cancellation of Five