Everyone should study A Taste of Honey and Oh What A Lovely War in Drama.

Connections to the GCSE, AS and A level specifications

  • Social, cultural, political and historical context
  • Influence
  • Key texts

PC: Thank you. I hope our discussion will help spread the word of Joan. I think the character you describe will appeal to teachers and students. And the fact that she is, kind of, Stanislavski, Piscator, Brecht and Grotowski all in one.

NH: What I think is really useful with Littlewood, that you don’t get with Stanislavski, is that you have the texts there. You can see those ideas in terms of training, in terms of the way that the stage space should be, and how characters should interact. You’ve got it there as a resource. Everyone should study A Taste of Honey and Oh What A Lovely War in Drama.

PC: Yes. It is a great strength of Littlewood’s work that her techniques have become so common place. Unfortunately, it is also a weakness, as people forget or overlook how revolutionary she was because her influence is everywhere.

Summary

  • Teach people about Joan Littlewood and how her influence is everywhere