Social Housing in Performance

The English Council Estate on and off Stage

Dr Katie Beswick (University of the Arts London, UK), Mark Taylor-Batty, Prof. Enoch Brater

$66.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Methuen Drama
20 August 2020

Theatre direction & production; Social & cultural history

Series: Methuen Drama Engage

This book explores the ways that council estates have been represented in England across a range of performance forms. Drawing on examples from mainstream, site-specific and resident-led performance works, it considers the political potential of contemporary performance practices concerned with the council estate. Depictions of the council estate are brought into dialogue with global representations of what Chris Richardson and Hans Skott-Myhre call the 'hood', to tease out the specific features of the British context and situate the work globally.

Katie Beswick's study provides a timely contribution to the ongoing national and global interest in social housing. As the housing market grows ever more insecure, and estates are charged with political rhetoric, theatre and socially engaged art set or taking place on estates takes on a new potency. Mainstream theatre works examined include Rita, Sue and Bob Too and A State Affair at the Soho Theatre, Port at the National Theatre, and DenMarked at the Battersea Arts Centre. The book also explores the National Youth Theatre’s Slick and Roger Hiorns' Seizure, as well as community-based and resident led performances by Fourthland, Jordan McKenzie, Fugitive Images and Jane English.

By: Dr Katie Beswick (University of the Arts London UK)
Series edited by: Mark Taylor-Batty, Prof. Enoch Brater
Imprint: Methuen Drama
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm,
Weight: 281g
ISBN: 9781350178816
ISBN 10: 1350178810
Series: Methuen Drama Engage
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 20 August 2020
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Acknowledgements Three places: a preface Introduction: The council estate, definitions and parameters Chapter one: Quotidian performance of the council estate Chapter two: Class and the council estate in mainstream theatre Chapter three: Located on the estate Chapter four: Resident artists Conclusion: Three thoughts Notes Bibliography Index

Katie Beswick is a lecturer in Drama at the University of Exeter, UK. Her research focuses on the intersections between theatre and structural inequality, with an emphasis on race and class. She has worked as a performer, writer, facilitator of applied theatre and as a social housing officer.

Reviews for Social Housing in Performance: The English Council Estate on and off Stage

Katie Beswick's book addresses the crisis in UK council housing boldly, but also with great care and sensitivity. Social Housing in Performance critiques the ways in which council estates are presented to us in the establishment media, and puts forward instead a compelling new typology for understanding housing issues through performance practice. After decades in which social housing in England has been neglected, Beswick's deeply considered analysis of estate performance is very welcome. She examines not only how individual performances have figured working class life but also how these performances are caught up with broader perceptions of social housing and with British theatre's own highly fraught class politics. This is a timely and important book.