ABSTRACT

A guide to the contemporary London stage as well as an argument about its future, the book walks readers through the city’s performance spaces following the Brexit vote.

Austerity-era London theatre is suffused with the belief that private ownership defines full citizenship, its perspective narrowing to what an affluent audience might find relatable. From pub theatres to the National, Michael Meeuwis reveals how what gets put on in London interacts with the daily life of the neighbourhoods in which they are set.

This study addresses global theatregoers, as well as students and scholars across theatre and performance studies—particularly those interested in UK culture after Brexit, urban geography, class, and theatrical economics.

chapter |22 pages

Introduction

Rooting for the house

chapter 2|16 pages

Brexit’s dispossessed

chapter 3|13 pages

Transnationalism

chapter 4|15 pages

Village feel

chapter 5|16 pages

Croydon versus the world

Malteaser threesomes and entrepreneurial sweatshirts in the shadow of Grenfell

chapter 6|15 pages

Yerma on the internet

chapter |14 pages

Conclusion

Wanting more

chapter |11 pages

Afterword

Estate of the nation, Jerusalem to Albion