ABSTRACT
Unlike many other influential theatre directors covered in this series such as Stanislavsky, Brecht and Boal, Littlewood did not provide any substantial written accounts of her opinions on what theatre should aspire to or any definitive outline of her working methods. Clive Barker has argued that Littlewood’s resistance to setting out, or even acknowledging, a distinct working method, allowed people to accuse her of being an unorganised dilettante who occasionally managed to hit the right notes by luck rather than judgement (see Barker 2000: 113). However, accusations such as these grossly underestimate the strength of Littlewood’s theatrical vision and the way her working methods and productions shook up British theatre practice in the latter half of the twentieth century. Certainly, it is notable that Littlewood is the only British theatre director to have had an acting school founded to secure the continuation of her vision. Opened by Margaret Walker in 1961, East 15 aims ‘to ensure the retention of the working method and inspiration of Theatre Workshop’, a principle that suggests there was a working method to celebrate and sustain.
