The Henry VI Plays

This is the first major study of the Henry VI plays in performance. It focuses on the cultural context of modern British productions which have explored Shakespeare’s troubling depiction of England in crisis and related those themes to contemporaneous questions of national identity. Chapters are devoted to key productions such as Sir Barry Jackson’s work on the plays at the Birmingham Rep during the Festival of Britain; Peter Hall and John Barton’s landmark The Wars of the Roses , with which the RSC established its reputation; Michael Bogdanov’s controversial work for the ESC; and Michael Boyd’s award-winning cycle for the RSC. This book provides an in-depth look at rarely-seen televised series An Age of Kings and Jane Howell’s celebrated productions for the BBC-Time Life Shakespeare series.