Sex on Stage

In the post-war period, theatre provided an important critique of the way in which British society engaged with issues of the politics of gender and sexuality. Sex on Stage examines how British playwrights brought gender politics including women’s sexuality and gay and lesbian issues to the cutting edge of drama after World War II. Through a close reading of playwrights such as John Osborne, Harold Pinter and Terence Rattigan, alongside accounts of their socio-political context and public reception, Andrew Wyllie reveals that this more progressive age was also one in which masculine anxieties and a consequent reaction were discernible.With its full treatment of this important aspect of British theatrical history and the intense relationship between theatre, gender politics and society, Sex on Stage will appeal to academics and students of drama, gender studies and cultural studies.