Why were Harold Pinter’s plays met with so much disdain in the early years, when he has since been acknowledged as one of the greatest British dramatists of the twentieth century? In this study, Binnie Brand Yeates examines and compellingly demonstrates, through Pinter’s striking theatrical skills and the behaviour, motivation and language of the characters in the plays written between 1957 and 1964, the probable cause of the alienation, and leaves no doubt that, though controversial, Pinter has in fact always been an extremely powerful and accomplished playwright. One of the first commentaries ever written on Pinter’s plays, now with a 2013 Postscript covering 'The Hothouse' and selected plays written between 1978 and 1991, this is an original, thought-provoking and eye-opening interpretation, an essential reader for students, theatre lovers and Pinter devotees alike. “What Binnie Yeates offers here is not just another set of thoughts on Pinter's early plays, but one that captures a snapshot of the growth of his reputation in the mid-sixties. Based upon a dissertation that Binnie wrote in 1966, she effectively summarises the first key phase of Pinter’s writing up to and including the career-defining 'The Homecoming'. With little dedicated Pinter scholarship available at the time of the original study, Yeates considered Pinter free from too much critical noise on her subject, and did so predominantly through considering character and motivation. She offers thoughts on Pinter's signatures of menace, status and game-playing, and how his work affected audience through specific uses of language and the impact of disorientation. The work captures an admiration for the playwright in a passionately articulated defence and appreciation of his plays, and reminds us of a time when his reputation was still being defined.” Dr Mark Taylor-Batty Senior Lecturer in Theatre Studies, University of Leeds; Executive, International Harold Pinter Society

What Binnie Yeates offers here is not just another set of thoughts on Pinter's early plays, but one that captures a snapshot of the growth of his reputation in the mid-sixties. This book is based upon a dissertation that Binnie wrote in 1966, in which she surveyed his work to date, effectively summarising the first key phase of his writing up to and including the career-defining The Homecoming. With little dedicated Pinter scholarship available at the time of writing that original dissertation, Yeates here considered Pinter free from too much established critical noise on her subject, and does so predominantly through considering character and motivation. She offers some early thoughts on Pinter's signatures of menace, status and game-playing, and how his work affected audience through specific uses of language and the impact of disorientation. The work captures an admiration for the playwright in a passionately articulated defence and appreciation of his plays, and reminds us of a time when his reputation was still being defined.Dr Mark Taylor-BattySenior Lecturer in Theatre Studies, University of Leeds;Executive, International Harold Pinter Society

The Methuen Drama Dictionary of the Theatre is an essential reference tool and companion for anyone interested in the theatre and theatre-going. Containing over 2500 entries it covers the international spectrum of theatre with particular emphasis on the UK and USA. With biographical information on playwrights, actors and directors, entries on theatres and theatre companies, explanation of technical terms and theatrical genres, and synopses of major plays, this is an authoritative, trustworthy and comprehensive compendium. Included are: synopses of 500 major plays biographical entries on hundreds of playwrights, actors, directors and producers definitions of nearly 200 genres and movements entries on over 100 key characters from plays information about more than 250 theatres and companies Unlike similar products, The Methuen Drama Dictionary of the Theatre avoids a dry, technical approach with its sprinkling of anecdotal asides and fascinating trivia, such as how Michael Gambon gave his name to a corner of a racing track following an incident on BBC's Top Gear programme, and under 'advice to actors' the sage words of Alec Guinness: 'First wipe your nose and check your flies', and the equally wise guidance from the master of his art, Noël Coward: 'Just know your lines and don't bump into the furniture.' As a companion to everything from the main stage to the fringes of theatrical fact and folklore, this will prove an irresistible book to all fans of the theatre.

In the last decades of the twentieth century, North American drama has powerfully enacted the problematic notions of cultural memory and identity, as the essays assembled in this critical anthology demonstrate. Echoing Derrida's non-essentialist interpretation of the term «signature», this collection provides an innovative focus on North American theatre and drama as a site of latent cultural memories. In this volume, the concept of cultural memory offers a privileged vantage point from which to redefine issues of diasporic identities, exilic predicaments, and multi-ethnic subject positions at the dawn of a new century. Playwrights examined here include noted Canadian and US artists such as Marie Clements, Eva Ensler, Lorraine Hansberry, Tomson Highway, Cherríe Moraga, Djanet Sears, Guillermo Verdecchia, August Wilson, and Chay Yew, to cite but a few. In the process of remembering, North American dramatists develop new aesthetic modes in which the signatures of the past merge with the present and foreshadow an imagined future.