Overview
The scheme for a chronicle of the First World War, told through songs and documents in the form of a seaside pierrot entertainment of the period, was devised and presented by Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, London, in 1963. It was the result of close co-operation between writer, actors and director, where the whole team participated in detailed research into the period and in the creative task of bringing their material to life in theatrical terms. It won the acclaim of audiences and critics and the Grand Prix of the Theatre des Nations festival in Paris in 1963 and has become a classic of the modern theatre. Perusal material available. Restrictions apply.