America 250

I see this as a struggle between live art (theatre) vs electronic (television/radio).


In the next two years, there’s going to be a lot of media coming from America about American history, with an English angle to it, since English settlers were so important to the founding of America.


The theatre can ignore this event. That may be the right thing to do. Or it can be political and engage with it. I think people will turn to theatre to engage with it, as well as write on the internet of course.


An interesting play that might be a popular revival is David Haig’s Pressure.


World War 1 era will also be apt for the moment. English playwright Nick Drear wrote a play that I haven’t seen but I’m familiar with the story—about the relationship between Edward Thomas and Robert Frost, who lived in London as the war broke out. Frost returned to America, Thomas went to war and died. Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” is thought to have influenced Thomas’ decision to go to war.


There was an exhibition at the Tate recently about William Blake, author of England’s unofficial national anthem (“And did those feet in ancient time/Walk on England’s mountains green”). Several of his poems/paintings are very interesting for how an English person thought of America around the time of its founding. See “America, a Prophecy."   Any historical play dealing with the Revolutionary War, 1812 or Civil War (England was a major influence on the outcome of the Civil War) would likely be very popular and give people something meaningful to talk about, at least to dust off the school history lessons.

Do you mean you’ll be more interested when it (i.e America ) has established itself as a nation? 250 years isn’t long enough?

Or do you mean you’ll be more interested when it (the 250th anniversary) has properly established itself? Is it still too far away for you to care?

Piers Morgan was recently talking about America 250 years ago when Prince William visited New York. It made no sense to me. I couldn’t tell if it had something to do with the “anniversary” or it was just media click bait. He might be on the payroll of the http:// america250.org organizers.


Piers Morgan encouraging Americans to reverse 250 year old bad decision. 

British irony doesn't always come across well online. 

I'd love to see an Arthur Miller play done over here... 😃

Perhaps more August Wilson revivals. Indhu Rubasingham has directly a lot of American plays especially new writing. Perhaps one will be included in her first NT season.

Yeah, sorry, was just joking.
But seriously, I do find 250 years a little irrelevant. Countries with real history are a lot more interesting. And yes, all the July 4 stuff is a bit ridiculous.

Don't most countries celebrate something akin to 4th of July? France has Bastille Day, Israel has an Independence Day....not sure why commemorating an event in a means that brings people together to celebrate/unite is "silly".

And as for "real history", were you joking? 

I'm by no means an expert on "straight theatre" but one thing I've noticed is that American theatre is big on "family dramas" that usually involves adult children returning to some family house in a rural place and over the course of the evening everyone clashes as deep dark family secrets are exposed. Older stuff like "Cat on a hot tin roof" and "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf" through to "August: Osage County" and now "Fat Ham" or "Appropriate" (which I had been interested in because I love Sarah Paulson, but tuned out when I realized it was one such family drama). I find them indefinitely tedious and predictable.

As for having a National Day to celebrate itself: Germany wouldn't dare. We have the very randomly chosen 3 October as a "Day of German Reunification" because 11 November (when the Berlin Wall fell and the border opened, which is what most people remember) is too loaded a date here. And it's usually just politicians pontificating and nobody else giving a hoot. So as someone from a country that still loves to beat itself up rather than feel a hint of pride about the positive stuff achieved now and then across the centuries, I envy countries like the US for their 4th July celebrations.

I wouldn’t dispute that at all. Its’ place as a global superpower after only 250 years lays testament to that.

I’d love to see a Mamet season somewhere.

Here in America by David Edgar, about Arthur Miller during the McCarthy era and premiering at the Orange Tree in October of this year, should strike a chord with audiences thinking about American history in the next two years.  orangetreetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/here-in-america/