Author(s): Alicia Tycer

Special Order

This guide provides an accessible informative critical introduction to Caryl Churchill's classic modern play, "Top Girls".Caryl Churchill is widely considered one of the most innovative playwrights to have emerged in post-war British theatre. Identified as a socialist feminist writer, she is one of the few British women playwrights to have been incorporated into the dramatic canon. "Top Girls" is one of Churchill's most well known and often studied works, using an all female cast to critique bourgeois feminism during the Thatcher era.This guide provides a comprehensive critical introduction to "Top Girls", giving students an overview of the background and context for the play; detailed analysis of the its structure, style and characters; a practical analysis of key production issues and choices; an overview of the performance history focusing on key productions; and, an annotated guide to further reading highlighting key critical approaches. It includes new interpretations of the text in the light of Churchill's recent playwriting and intervening shifts in the political landscape.Accessible, informative critical introductions to modern plays for students in both Theatre/Performance Studies and English.