Copyright

Rebecca Hillman

Published On

2023-09-27

Page Range

pp. 1–6

Language

  • English

Print Length

6 pages

Preface

Chapter of: After the Miners’ Strike: A39 and Cornish Political Theatre versus Thatcher’s Britain: Volume 1(pp. 1–6)
The Preface reflects on Paul Farmer’s book as a bold and timely intervention on political working-class theatre. It places A39’s practice in the context of historical events and theatrical practice, but also in relation to a rich seam of academic enquiry on agitprop theatre, often assumed redundant beyond the end of the 1970s. It invites readers to consider the book as a provocative political analysis, and corrective to that understanding of history. It proposes the significance of returning to this territory at a time of increased class-conscious and materialist critiques from contemporary artists and theatre makers. This is especially in view of the political agency of A39’s approach; moments of which are highlighted here.

Contributors

Rebecca Hillman

(author)
Senior Lecturer at the Department of Communications, Drama and Film at University of Exeter
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8612-0422
https://drama.exeter.ac.uk/staff/hillman/

Rebecca Hillman’s work as Senior Lecturer in the Department of Communications, Drama and Film at the University of Exeter is informed by her involvement with trade unions and political campaign groups. She enjoys teaching her module Activism and Performance to examine with students how social and industrial movements use performance and other cultural forms to make change in the world. Her recent publications explore theatre as a political organising tool, working-class theatre, housing and activism, and collaborative efforts to strengthen links between artists and the labour movement. Rebecca is the Principle Investigator on the AHRC Fellowship Performing Resistance: Theatre and Performance in 21st Century Workers’ Movements. She is writing a book based on some of this work, to be published with Bloomsbury in 2025.