Modern Playhouses: An Architectural History of Britain’s New Theatres, 1945 - 1985

Between the 1950s and the 1980s, substantial new theatres were built the length and breadth of the country. They are significant in their own right as works of architecture, and for what they reveal of debates in post-war theatre. They also help to shed new light on a range of wider concerns in post-war British history, including the place of culture in modern society, and the development of the modern city. Through the close study of a vast range of archive materials, many of which had never before been examined, Modern Playhouses considers the history of these buildings for the first time. Its focus is less what they look like than the ideas which shaped their conception, design, and reception. To that end, it sets Britain’s post-war theatres in a wider social and cultural context to illuminate a particularly creative period in architectural history - and British history more generally.