Film, Drama and the Break-up of Britain

This book engages with ideas that are highly topical and relevant: nationalism, nationhood and national identity as well as the relationship of these to postcolonialism. However, it does so within the broad field of drama. Examining the debates around the relationship between culture and national identity, the book documents the contributions of actual dramatists and film-makers to the chronicling of an important historical moment. The book breaks down what have been traditional barriers between theatre, film and television studies, considering the very broad range of ways in which the creators of dramatic fictions are telling us stories about ourselves at a time when the idea of being 'British' is increasingly problematic. Much has been written on the 'break up' of Britain, but there has been very little to-date about the impact that this is having on drama in the thetre, on television and on film. A very wide range of material is discussed in the book, ranging from box office hits such as "The Full Monty" to community based theatre in Scotland and Wales.