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Royal Court Theatre
The English Stage Company, also referred to as The Royal Court Theatre was founded as a not-for-profit writers theatre. The Royal Court is known as Britain's first national theatre company. George Devine who founded the company, wanted this company to challenge and revitalize British Theatre. Sixty years later, this company still has several undiscovered and emerging writers producing their works that eventually move to productions worldwide (Royal Court 2022). -
The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party is a play by British playwright, Harold Pinter. Harold Pinter has written over thirty plays and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005. The Birthday Party was Harold Pinter's first full-length play. The play is about a piano player, Stanley Webber, who is staying in a seaside boarding house and runs into two strangers who eventually take him. The play revolves around the sense of isolation, confusion, and chaos (Raymond 2021). -
Royal Shakespeare Company Created
The Royal Shakespeare Company was founded by Peter Hall. The RSC was previously known as the Stratford Theatre. This theatre would primarily focus on Shakespeare plays and new British playwrights. Some famous productions at this theatre include Hamlet, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and much more (RSC 2022). -
The National Theatre Inagurated
The National Theatre under Laurence Oliver, had its first production. The first performance at the theatre was Hamlet that starred Peter O' Toole. Since 1963, the National Theatre has produced over 800 plays. In 1976, Peter Hall moved the company to Denys Lasdun's National Theatre, which was opened by The Queen (National Theatre 2022). -
Aldwych Host World Theatre Season
World Theatre Season was an annual season of international theatre and it was hosted in the Aldwych Theatre in London from 1964-1975. The season was presented by Peter Daubeny, in partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company. This season has significantly influenced British theatre, as it expanded the approaches to directing and playwrights of plays. During the time frame of the World Theatre Season, it had forty-eight companies come from nineteen countries across the world (Daubeny 2022). -
Saved
Saved is a play by Edward Bond that was first produced in 1965 at the Royal Court Theatre. This production was a private club production, as Lord Chamberlain had authority to censor British Theatre and determine which productions are fit for public performances. The Royal Court eventually decided to dodge the law to present the play and it caused much violance and outrage from the audience. This play caused protest and outrage from the beastliness and brutality presented (Encyclopedia.com 2022). -
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is the first play by Tom Stoppard that was first performed in 1967 in London. Tom Stoppard is considered one of the most important playwrights in the latter half of the twentieth century. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is a retold story of Shakespeare's, Hamlet. The play focuses on two insignificant characters in Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Encyclopedia.com 2022). -
Equus
Equus is a play by Peter Shaffer that was produced and published in 1973. The play focuses on a psychiatrist drawn to a teenager obsessed with horses. The play focuses on how passion should be part of human life. Peter Shaffer has had seven plays produced on Broadway and also has won every dramatic award and an Academy Award (Britannica 2022). -
Amadeus
Amadeus, first produced in 1979, is a Tony and Academy Award winning play by Peter Shaffer. The play was first performed in the National Theatre in London. Amadeus is a play that reimagines the lived of Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The play focuses on the tale of jealousy and betrayal. The play had successful productions in London and New York (Concord Theatricals 2022). -
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby is a play by David Edgar based off of the novel by Charles Dickens. This play is a recipient of the Tony Award for Best Play. The play was first produced in 1980 by the Royal Shakepeare Company and it eventually became a successful production in both London and New York. This adaptation of the novel is an eight and a half hour performance, performed in two parts (DPS 2022).