Joan Littlewood

1914 - 2002

“I really do believe in the community. I really do believe in the genius in every person”

So said the founder of the theatre workshop and self-professed, “vulgar woman” Joan Littlewood! Her work was collaborative, experimental and politically engaged. She was such a believer in the importance of community and the working person that refused a lot of awards and became famous for being very bluntly spoken, and for offending the high and mighty without any qualms at all!

KEY PRINCIPLES

• Agitprop Theatre
  What is Agitprop theatre? It usually theatre with political themes; it sometimes has direct engagement with the audience; and, it contains caricatures or ‘types’ rather than developed characters.It is often performed on the street and written quickly to reflect current affairs. For actors working with Littlewood, this meant becoming a voice for opposing arguments and points of view and, rather than changing their audience through catharsis, actors would appeal, persuade and antagonise their audiences.
  
  
• Popular Theatre
  Joan believed that “The great theatres of all times have been popular theatres which reflected the dreams and struggles of the people” and so she employed acting styles from Commedia Dell’arte, which uses stock characters, and Slapstick to engage audiences and undermine theatrical tradition.
  
  
• Creative Ensemble 
  Creative Ensemble. This included not just acting but everything else from administration to making sets and costumes. She believed that this approach developed a trust and understanding between the company that freed up creative possibility and led to productions outside of the theatrical norm.
   

INFLUENCE 

• Training. Littlewoods company members took part in a rigorous training programme focussing on voice, movement and improvisation. Company members were also expected to undertake voice training, using techniques based on the theories of Australian opera teacher, Nelson Illingworth. Illingworth worked with the ‘bel canto’ method, which focuses on the importance of breathing. She ran regular classes on LABAN Later, Laban’s assistant, Jean Newlove, was sent to assist the company, running classes, advising on productions and working as a choreographer. Voice was seen as an extension of movement, rather than anything to do with words. We can see this style of multi-disciplinary training still having a huge influence on the training of actors to this day as it’s used as the foundation for work in drama schools up and down the country.

• Actor-artists. Littlewoods productions were collaborative, fluid and innovative. Actors were encouraged to experiment with characterisation and setting before they were given scripts; they swapped parts regularly; and they shared their research. She said: “I believe very much in a theatre of actor-artists, and I think the trust that comes out of team work on what is often a new script, cleaning up points in production, or contact between actors, is essential to the development of the craft of acting and playwriting.” You can see the influence in companies like Mischief theatre; they have developed a company who collaborate and improvise together to create theatre productions like The Play That Goes Wrong and TV Shows like The Goes Wrong Show on the BBC!

USEFUL LINKS:

TO READ...

ESSENTIAL DRAMA JOAN EDUCATION PACK

BRITISH LIBRARY'S INTRO TO JOAN LITTLEWOOD

GUARDIAN OBITUARY

TO WATCH...

JOAN LITTLEWOOD DOC

RSC MAKING A MUSICAL ABOUT JOAN LITTLEWOOD

TRIBUTE TO JOAN LITTLEWOOD