Stephen Joseph: Theatre Pioneer and Provocateur

Description

A 1967 obituary in The Times labelled Stephen Joseph 'the most successful missionary to work in the English theatre since the second world war'. This radical man brought theatre-in-the-round to Britain, provoked Ayckbourn, Pinter and verbatim theatre creator Peter Cheeseman to write and direct, and democratised theatregoing. This monograph investigates his forgotten legacy. This monograph draws on largely unsorted archival material (including letters from Harold Pinter, J. B. Priestley, Peggy Ramsay and others), and on new interviews with figures including Sir Alan Ayckbourn, Trevor Griffiths and Sir Ben Kingsley, to demonstrate how the impact on theatre in Britain of manager, director and 'missionary' Stephen Joseph has been far greater than is currently acknowledged within traditional theatre history narratives. The text provides a detailed assessment of Joseph's work and ideas during his lifetime, and summarises his broadly-unrecognised posthumous legacy within contemporary theatre. Throughout the book Paul Elsam identifies Joseph's work and ideas, and illustrates and analyses how others have responded to them. Key incidents and events during Joseph's career are interrogated, and case studies that highlight Joseph's influence and working methods are provided. Title Page Copyright Page Contents Foreword Acknowledgements List of Illustrations Introduction Stephen Joseph: Timeline Chapter 1 Mission A missionary context: Britain’s post-war fringe theatre scene The heart of the mission: Theatre-in-the-round Joseph’s mission: Early role models Joseph’s mission: A developing manifesto for experimentation Experimental area 1: Acting technique Experimental area 2: A new approach to directing Experimental area 3: Playwrights and playwriting Experimental area 4: Reaching new audiences Experimental area 5: The problem of subsidy Publishing the research: The Joseph books Chapter 2 Ayckbourn and Cheeseman – Twin Protégés Chapter 3 Joseph’s Seven Routes to the Unknown Chapter 4 The New Makers Clifford Williams David Campton Faynia Jeffery/Williams Ben Kingsley Ian Hogg Trevor Griffiths Chapter 5 Joseph and the Establishment Section one: Overview Section two: Case studies Section three: Joseph and the Establishment – personal factors Conclusion Afterword Appendices Appendix 1: Opinions on Joseph’s legacy Appendix 2: The Joseph-designed Nuffield Theatre in Lancaster, England Bibliography Section 1: Published works Section 2: Correspondence Section 3: Printed and online reviews and articles Section 4: Interviews Section 5: Unpublished works Section 6: Online resources Index