Theatre has a complex history of responding to crises, long before they
happen. Through stage plays, contemporary challenges can be presented,
explored and even foreshadowed in ways that help audiences understand
the world around them. Since the theatre of the Greeks, audiences have
turned to live theatre in order to find answers in uncertain political,
social and economic times, and through this unique collection questions
about
This anthology brings together a collection of 20 scenes from 20
playwrights that each respond to the world in crisis. Twenty of the
world's most prolific playwrights were asked to select one scene from
across their published work that speaks to the current world situation
in 2020.
As COVID-19 continues to challenge every aspect of global life,
contemporary theatre has long predicted a world on the edge. Through
these 20 scenes from plays spanning from 1980 to 2020, we see how
theatre and art has the capacity to respond, comment on and grapple with
global challenges that in turn speak to the current time in which we are
living.
Each scene, chosen by the writer, is prefaced by an interview in which
they discuss their process, their reason for selection and how their
work reflects both the past and the present. From the political plays of
Lucy Prebble and James Graham to the polemics of Philip Ridley and Tim
Crouch. From bold works by Inua Ellams, Morgan Lloyd Malcom and Tanika
Gupta to the social relevance of Hannah Khalil, Zoe Cooper and Simon
Stephens this anthology looks at theatre in the present and asks the
question: "how can theatre respond to a world in crisis?"
The collection is prefaced by an introduction from Edward Bond, one of
contemporary theatre's most prolific dramatists.
