This 1981 volume begins with the naturalistic revolt in France against traditional styles of theatre. As realism becomes a European movement the account moves from Paris to the Meiningen company and Ibsen's work as producer and play-wright in Oslo, Chekhov's in Moscow, Shaw's in London, Synge's in Dublin. Among the producers are Antoine, Brahm, Grein, Granville-Baker, Nemirovich-Danchenko and Stanislavsky. The early days of the Irish Dramatic Movement and the chief realistic directors and critics in the USA after Belasco are considered; the tradition is shown to persist in the work of Williams and Miller in the USA and Osborne and Bond in England.
List of illustrations; Acknowledgements; Preface; 1. The Natural revolt; 2. Early theory; 3. A new production style; 4. Ibsen's contribution to realism; 5. Realism in France; 6. Strindberg' contribution to realism; 7. Realism in Germany; 8. Realism in Britain; 9. Shaw's contribution to realism; 10. Realism in Russia; 11. Chekhov's contribution to realism; 12. Conflicts in Dublin; 13. Realism in America: Belasco to 'the method'; 14. Realism in America: early variations; 15. Realism in America: Williams and Miller; 16. New realism in Britain; 17. Realistic theatre; Table of events in the theatre; Bibliography; Index.
