Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword by Max Stafford-Clark
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Biographical notes
- Introduction: abortive schemes, 1951–1954
- 1 Coincidences, 1954–1956
- 2 The struggle for control, 1956–1960
- 3 Conflict and competition, 1961–1965
- 4 A socialist theatre, 1965–1969
- 5 A humanist theatre, 1969–1975
- 6 Changing places, 1975–1979
- 7 Theatre in a cold climate, 1980–1986
- 8 Holding on, 1987–1993
- Afterword
- Notes
- Select bibliography
- Index
3 - Conflict and competition, 1961–1965
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword by Max Stafford-Clark
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Biographical notes
- Introduction: abortive schemes, 1951–1954
- 1 Coincidences, 1954–1956
- 2 The struggle for control, 1956–1960
- 3 Conflict and competition, 1961–1965
- 4 A socialist theatre, 1965–1969
- 5 A humanist theatre, 1969–1975
- 6 Changing places, 1975–1979
- 7 Theatre in a cold climate, 1980–1986
- 8 Holding on, 1987–1993
- Afterword
- Notes
- Select bibliography
- Index
Summary
George wanted to run a theatre and here was his opportunity … Once you've got the thing, it's not always all right because it's an illusion. I know from experience. You think, you're going to run a theatre, great, you can do the work you really aspire to, but you very rarely achieve that … in the end you just have to be rather political and do what keeps the finances just in order.
(Stuart Burge, interview with the author, 9 July 1996).I suppose the Royal Court has many identities and one is thorough, high-born English liberalism. It's a complete muddle.
(Nicholas Wright, interview with the author, 3 October 1996)Devine's own description of 1961 is brief and to the point:
The year starts with a financially disastrous French season – Ionesco, Sartre, Genet – looks good but lost a lot. Wesker's The Kitchen much admired, especially Dexter's direction. The mainstay of the year was Tony Richardson's production of osborne's Luther with Finney – Continental tour, Royal Court, Edinburgh Festival, West End and, subsequently, Broadway. Harrison appeared in Nigel Dennis' August for the People but deserted it for the Cleopatra film, although Twentieth-Century Fox paid for his release. Gwyn Thomas turned up with The Keep. Ann Jellicoe's second play The Knack gave much pleasure, and Lindsay Anderson's production of The Fire Raisers by Max Frisch was reckoned a big success but lost £6,500. I suffer a minor nervous breakdown.
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- Information
- The Royal Court Theatre and the Modern Stage , pp. 79 - 104Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1999