The Aftermath: British Theatre following the Abolition of Statutory Censorship

This chapter investigates whether any new forms of censorship have faced the theatre since the passing of the 1968 Theatres Act. After an account of attempts to bring prosecutions against plays or theatre practitioners since 1968, it explores whether — in the view of theatre companies, theatre practitioners, and playwrights — any forms of covert censorship have replaced statutory theatre censorship since 1968. Using an empirical methodology, the chapter attempts to provide a reliable snapshot of the views of theatre professionals in 2002-2003. The final section of the chapter makes use of...

This chapter investigates whether any new forms of censorship have faced the theatre since the passing of the 1968 Theatres Act. After an account of attempts to bring prosecutions against plays or theatre practitioners since 1968, it explores whether — in the view of theatre companies, theatre practitioners, and playwrights — any forms of covert censorship have replaced statutory theatre censorship since 1968. Using an empirical methodology, the chapter attempts to provide a reliable snapshot of the views of theatre professionals in 2002-2003. The final section of the chapter makes use of source material from newspapers and web pages to give an account of a new form of attempted, pressure-group censorship emerging after scenes of actual or threatened violence in Birmingham and London in 2004-2005. The chapter concludes by asking whether such direct action will lead to renewed government censorship or to new forms of cautious self-censorship.