Political theatre

Protest review – schoolgirls unite with the power of dissent

This show for young audiences builds to a stirring drama of waking up to injustice and trying to right it

Mark Fisher

03, May, 2023 @7:00 PM

Baldwin v Buckley: how the ‘debate play’ made a riveting resurgence

Verbal clashes from history are being thrillingly restaged for modern audiences. Do these grand battles prove we’ve lost the art of disagreement? And could watching them anew change the politics of tomorrow?

Arifa Akbar

17, Mar, 2023 @4:00 PM

Afghanistan Is Not Funny: the comedian transformed by the war on terror

Henry Naylor travelled to Afghanistan in 2003 to research his fringe farce Finding Bin Laden. His sobering new show takes stock of the country’s fate since

Brian Logan

24, Feb, 2023 @10:37 AM

Grenfell: System Failure review – sobering unpicking of a tragedy

Writer Richard Norton-Taylor and director Nicolas Kent’s almost anti-theatrical play uses residents’ testimonies and gives the bereaved a much-needed voice

David Jays

24, Feb, 2023 @12:01 AM

Wave of protest plays staged as UK theatres face closures and staff shortages

In several new productions, playwrights explore the cost of living crisis as their industry reels from funding cuts, cancellations and low wages

Ella Braidwood

03, Feb, 2023 @12:06 PM

The Contingency Plan review – climate-crisis dramas on a human scale

Updated 13 years after their first showing, Steve Waters’ double bill of plays feels more urgent than before – while their personal dynamics hint at challenges yet to overcome

Catherine Love

23, Oct, 2022 @4:32 PM

Go on, gizza play: Boys from the Blackstuff lives again – on stage

Alan Bleasdale works with Sherwood creator James Graham to revisit TV masterpiece

Vanessa Thorpe

02, Jul, 2022 @1:00 PM

The best theatre to stream this month: Death of England, Grenfell and more

Our roundup of drama to watch at home includes political plays, an assortment from the Brighton fringe, an epic rehearsal at the RSC and a musical about a guide dog

Chris Wiegand

31, May, 2022 @11:01 PM

Red Ellen review – Bettrys Jones gives towering performance in life of Labour MP

Caroline Bird’s play pays tribute to the leftwing firebrand Ellen Wilkinson, who led the Jarrow march and as a Labour minister introduced free school milk

Mark Fisher

10, Apr, 2022 @12:55 PM

Watch the Ukrainian drama Bad Roads at the Royal Court

The live stream of Natal’ya Vorozhbit’s drama has ended but you can watch it again here and a captioned version is available here until 8 April

Chris Wiegand

01, Apr, 2022 @5:02 PM

The Treaty shows history in the making – and proves the power of political theatre

Colin Murphy’s remarkable new play takes us behind closed doors as high-stakes negotiations for Irish independence take place

Michael Billington

03, Dec, 2021 @3:49 PM

Interruptions review – Stephen Jeffreys’ powerful inquiry into democracy

Through intriguing group scenarios, the impressive Represent cast consider politics and tyranny without resorting to pat solutions