Contemporary Gothic Drama Attraction, Consummation and Consumption on the Modern British Stage

This ground-breaking volume is the first of its kind to examine the extraordinary prevalence and appeal of the Gothic in contemporary British theatre and performance. Chapters range from considerations of the Gothic in musical theatre and literary adaptation, to explorations of the Gothic’s power to haunt contemporary playwriting, macabre tourism and site-specific performance. By taking familiar Gothic motifs, such as the Gothic body, the monster and Gothic theatricality, and bringing them to a new contemporary stage, this collection provides a fresh and comprehensive take on a popular genre. Whilst the focus of the collection falls upon Gothic drama, the contents of the book will embrace an interdisciplinary appeal to scholars and students in the fields of theatre studies, literature studies, tourism studies, adaptation studies, cultural studies, and history. 

1. Introduction: Gothic theatricality/the theatrical Gothic.- Part I. Attractions.- 2. The Call of the Cthonic: from Titus Andronicus to X, David Ian Rabey.- 3. Death, Decay and Domesticity: The Corpse as Pivotal Stage Presence in Howard Barker’s Dead Hands, Lara Kipp.- 4. Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman and the Postmodern Gothic, Catherine Rees.- Part II. Consummation.- 5. Staging Angela Carter, Frances Babbage.- 6. Little Monsters: Gothic Children and Contemporary Theatrical Performance, Kelly Jones.- 7. Uncanny Audio: The Place and Use of Sound in Gothic Performance, Richard J. Hand.- 8. The “Phan”-dom of the Opera: Gothic Fan Cultures and Intertextual Otherness, Adam Rush.- Part III. Consumption.- 9. 'I hate this job': Guiding Ripper Tours in the East End, Emma McEvoy.- 10. ‘The Outcast Dead’: Performance, Memory and Sites of Mourning at Cross Bones Graveyard, Clare Nally.- 11. Playing in the Dark: Possession and Performance, Robert Dean.- 12. Staging the Séance: The Spirit Medium and the Gothic in Modern Theatre, Benjamin Poore.- 13. Coda: Writing the Ghost: An interview with playwright Michael Punter, Benjamin Poore.