Clive Barnes (1927–2008)

The plays in this book are steeped in the 60s. The ideas, the language, the politics, the obsessions - all from that period that exuded so much angst and fear, even in an era of relative prosperity in the country. Looking back at these works from the position of 50 years, it is difficult to see that much has changed except how we do theatre. The large casts, the detailed descriptions of character, the exposition, the long stories and monologues - all of these are being eroded from theatre at a rapid pace due to the inability of the audience to sit still, the actors to memorize the lines (so I'm told; I haven't noticed that), and, of course, the cost of putting on a production with actual actors and sets that has driven us to a minimalist theatre. As a lover of minimalist theatre, I don't mean that as an insult, but still, when you read plays where there are numerous small parts that just show up for a cameo, then disappear, and many large parts that interact in all sorts of unexpected ways, you do realize that we are missing something.… (meer)