The works of established dramatists and of new talents are examined from the stand-point of the original production and initial casts, the major dramatists studied being Alan Ayckbourn, Samuel Beckett, Edward Bond, Trevor Griffiths, David Hare, Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, and David Storey. A central theme of the book is the current relationship between the author and the actor. Contents: Harold Pinter, New Forms of Comedy: Ayckbourn and Stoppard, Monologues and Soliloquies: Samuel Beckett, Poetic Naturalism: David Storey, Political Drama and David Hare, Trevor Griffiths, The History Play: Edward Bond. ‘As drama in performance is now, rightly, given such prominence in the study of playwrights and plays there is obvious need for an intelligent and sensitive book which looks at recent drama in the context of the stage. This is exactly what Richard Cave presents in his latest work… . this is a book which future historians will be grateful for, and which ordinary readers can dip into for the pleasure of reliving, or vicariously experiencing for the first time, the peculiar excitement of seeing new plays that constitute a new theatrical event.’ R.P.Draper in Times Higher Education Supplement