Oxford Companion

Just picked up my complimentary copy of The Oxford Companion to Theatre & Performance, edited by Dennis Kennedy. I wrote several entries for the original two-volume edition, published in 2003. The new publication is an abridgement and an update of the earlier volume. I mainly wrote entries on post-war playwrights, including Osborne, Rattigan, Priestley, Fry, Sherriff, Coward, Brenton, Barker, Stoppard, Kane, Ravenhill, Greig. I also wrote pieces on the Royal Court, naturalism and the well-made play. Something like 35 entries in all. For the new edition, I’ve updated the relevant entries and added Martin Crimp, Dennis Kelly, Joe Penhall, Simon Stephens. It’s a nice-looking volume and is refreshing for its focus on performance.