Edward Bond: A Critical Study Also available from Peter Billingham SENSING THE CITY THROUGH TELEVISION THEATRES OF CONSCIENCE 1939–53 AT THE SHARP END RADICAL INITIATIVES IN INTERVENTIONIST AND COMMUNITY DRAMA (ed.) Edward Bond: A Critical Study Peter Billingham © Peter Billingham 2014 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-0-230-36739-5 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2014 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-34957-9 ISBN 978-1-137-36801-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9781137368010 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Typeset by MPS Limited, Chennai, India. To my parents Grace and Ernie, both in rest at the inland sea This page intentionally left blank Contents List of Illustrations viii Acknowledgements ix List of Abbreviations xi Introduction: Wearing Dead Men’s Clothes: Addressing the Past, Re-dressing the Future 1 1 Your Morality is Violence: Politicising the Past 36 Interview 1 Staging Saved: Interview with Sean Holmes 82 2 Learning to Sing in the Ruins: The Later Plays, 1999–2011 102 Interview 2 Tell Me a Story: Interview with Chris Cooper 155 Conclusion: ‘Was Anything Done?’ 167 Bibliography 177 Index 180 vii List of Illustrations 1 Mandy Finney as the Woman, At the Inland Sea, Big Brum Theatre, 1995. Image courtesy of Chris Cooper 112 2 Josh Moody as Joe, The Children, Depthcharge Theatre, University of Winchester, 2012. Image courtesy of Corin Evans Pritchard 119 3 Josh Moody as Joe and Emily Maloney as Jill, The Children, Depthcharge Theatre, University of Winchester, 2012. Image courtesy of Corin Evans Pritchard 125 4 Richard Holmes as Jack and Adam Bethlenfalvy as the Dummy Actor, The Under Room, Big Brum Theatre, 2005. Image courtesy of Chris Cooper 133 5 Liz Brown as Viv, The Balancing Act, Big Brum Theatre, 2010. Image courtesy of Chris Cooper 163 viii Acknowledgements Researching and writing this book has been a massive endeavour in a number of ways, but one that I have found immensely stimulating and rewarding. I would like to take this opportunity firstly to thank the many friends and professional colleagues who have contributed support and interest throughout the preparation and writing of this book. Amongst my colleagues at the University of Winchester I would like to thank Professor Anthony Dean, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, and Dr Inga Bryden, Faculty Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange, for their supporting of teaching-relief for me during the final, demanding months of completing the original manuscript. I would also like to express thanks and appreciation to a wider circle of friends and colleagues for their friendship and professional support: Professor John Bull, Professor Tony Howard, Dr Graham Saunders, Tony Coult, Dr Cesar Villa, Dr Kate Katafiasz and Dr Stevie Simkin. I am also extremely grateful to Sean Holmes (Artistic Director, The Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith) and Chris Cooper (Artistic Director, Big Brum Theatre in Education company) for their very generous giving of time and support to this project. Formal acknowledgements to the following for permission to use production photographs of Bond’s plays: Simon Kane (Saved), Chris Cooper (The Under Room, At the Inland Sea, The Balancing Act) and Corin Evans Pritchard (The Children). I also want to express my thanks and appreciation to Paula Kennedy for commissioning this book and Sacha Lake for her help and support. My sincere thanks also to Monica Kendall for her price- less support and expertise in the final editing process. Finally I must thank Sally Ashworth for her expertise and commitment in compil- ing the index. I would like to think a former colleague and friend from the University of Portsmouth, John Stanton, for his invaluable contribu- tion to my production of At the Inland Sea. I would also like to acknowl- edge the talent and commitment of the student casts of Red Black and Ignorant (Bath Spa University, 2004), At the Inland Sea (University of ix