Obedience, Struggle & Revolt: Lectures on Theatre

British political playwright Hare (Plenty; Via Dolorosa; The Blue Room among many others) gathers eight lectures and a handful of occasional pieces of writing in this anthology. Mainly written and delivered in the last decade at conferences and special presentations worldwide, Hare's lectures address expected topics, like his ruminations on the state of contemporary playwrighting and theatre, and some surprising entreaties, like his analysis of the Iraq war and his shame-on-you lecture to a roomful of British media executives whom Hare accuses of ""not even trying."" Noting that ""a good lecture, were I ever to achieve such a thing, would be like a well-strung washing line-taut from beginning to end,"" Hare's are tight, amusing, punctuated with a wealth anecdotes and glimpses into his autobiography and home to scores of scathing gems. (""There is, I suppose, a grisly fascination in seeing elected politicians blunder into situations from which any normal person would walk instantly away."") Discussions of his friends and colleagues the playwrights John Osborne and Harold Pinter and critic Raymond Williams are insightful. This thought-provoking read penned by one of the foremost political contemporary playwrights will appeal to anyone interested in the arts and world politics.