British Theatre Conference

Under Labour, the arts were charged with challenging social exclusion, celebrating diversity and reasserting Britishness. But is there a contradiction between diversity and national identity? Should theatre foster cohesion or challenge it? If multiculturalism is dead, should theatre be promoting it? Is the theatre’s role to encourage tolerance or provoke outrage?

This two-day conference at Warwick Arts Centre, debates theatre’s relationship with the community, with identity politics, with the emergent nationalisms of Scotland and Wales, multiculturalism and our national history.

The current line‑up of speakers includes playwrights Alia Bano, Richard Bean, Howard Brenton, Kwame Kwei‑Armah and Ashmeed Sohoye, comedian and writer Stewart Lee;  directors Richard Eyre, Natalie Wilson, Janet Steel, Simon Reade, Michael Boyd (RSC) and Jonathan Church (Chichester); Barrie Rutter of Northern Broadsides and Vicky Featherstone of the National Theatre of Scotland; Stuart Rogers of the Birmingham Rep, and Lisa O’Neill-Rogan of the Bolton Octagon; academic Lynette Goddard, commentators David Aaronovitch, Mark Lawson and Kenan Malik; Barbara Matthews of the Arts Council, Conservative arts spokesman Ed Vaizey MP and the chair of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad Jude Kelly.

The British Theatre Consortium is organised by playwrights David Edgar, Steve Waters and Julie Wilkinson, playwright/academic Dan Rebellato and Warwick University’s Janelle Reinelt.

This conference is supported by generous contributions from…

Posted on December 14, 2008 | British Theatre Conferences