ABSTRACT
This chapter chronologically documents Joan Littlewood's development as a theatre practitioner and situate her changing practice in relation to wider social, political and cultural events, movements and debates. Following an overview of her origins and early life, it focuses on four key stages in her career. The first section explores the intersection between politics and innovative practice that characterised Littlewood's early work with Ewan MacColl in Manchester during the run up to the Second World War. Then, the chapter examines the formation of Theatre Workshop following the Second World War and the seven-year period Littlewood spent developing her skills as a director whilst establishing a highly trained ensemble to tour an eclectic repertoire of revitalised classics, modern European texts and original plays by MacColl. Next, the chapter concentrates on the period following the relocation of Theatre Workshop to the Theatre Royal, Stratford East in 1953. The final section turns to the 1960s and early 1970s.
