Top British plays taught in colleges around the world

Why are British plays so special?

Theater and performance play a huge role in the life of modern society. From private theater schools to the best universities for drama in the UK, they open their doors to future actors. By studying theater studies, every college student worldwide begins to understand the main features of British plays. They always describe a realistic picture of the life of different strata of society of the time in which the writer lived and worked.

The author became academic, and his essay radically changed the paradigm of the readers of that time. What is happening today? In British plays, political and social issues were sharply raised but were very skillfully veiled by the author. Research into the pressing problems of modern society inspired the writing of plays by British playwrights. The tragic and comic mixture, the glorification of high feelings of love, friendship, and self-sacrifice, and the taste for vivid life details are the main features of British plays.

Most popular performance in UK drama schools

The English theater is associated with the name of the greatest playwright William Shakespeare. Theater buildings appeared with him, and itinerant actors became groups and could give performances daily. But every graduate who has received a degree in theater arts from drama universities in the UK knows that the most popular product is John Priestley’s An Inspector Calls. The play raises the poignant theme of individual responsibility, which is brought up in the UK. The death of the heroine of the drama is caused by the totality of the influence of the irresponsible decisions of the people who interacted with her.

Thousands of talented performances in student theaters and hundreds of excellent essays have been created from this play. Whenever students receive new assigments based on the play, they can look the question up among free essay samples on An Inspector Calls, that discuss everything from the play’s social issues to character analysis. What is Priestley’s message in an Inspector Calls? This play is another example of the struggle between two different opinions, the confrontation between good and evil. On the one hand, a selfish and unspiritual opinion that a person should make his way and take care of himself, and on the other hand, life principles are based on Christian mercy.

Top plays taught in colleges around the world

You must have seen at least one from this list. If not – book the closest date in your local theater, so as to keep up with the classics.

•      “The Tragedy of King Lear” by William Shakespeare

British King Lear plans to divide his kingdom between his three daughters. To understand who gets what part, he asks them to say how boundless their love for their father is. The older daughters take advantage of the opportunity and flatter to get more, while the younger daughter tells the truth. The father kicks his daughter out of the kingdom in a fit of anger. Over time, the king realizes that the love of the older daughters was only selfish, and the enmity between them worsens the political situation in the kingdom.

In the center of the play is the eternal problem of fathers and children. But it cannot be said that he is an innocent victim of what happened. The vanity and arrogance of King Lear, the inability to discern the truth, and the tendency to make rash and principled decisions led to a tragic ending.

•      “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie

Ten strangers receive an invitation to a remote island. An evil past unites the guests that they try to keep secret. Each of them was marked for the murder that will decide their fate. On an island where they are cut off from civilization, they are brutally killed, following the lines of an ominous children’s rhyme.

The play makes you think about justice, guilt, about responsibility to yourself. The book does not answer the question: can one person decide the fate of another. The reader draws his conclusions, and freedom of choice is always good.

•      “Pygmalion” by George Bernard Shaw

An ancient Greek myth about how a sculptor tries to revive the beautiful statue he created in a modern interpretation. The hero of Shaw’s play is trying to turn a simple flower girl into a sophisticated aristocrat in six months.

The main idea of ??comedy is that there shouldn’t be such a huge social gap between the upper and lower classes since they differ only in clothes, manners, education, and pronunciation.

Conclusion

In theaters and performance studios worldwide, performances based on British plays are gaining popularity every year. From private acting schools to top art universities, British plays are studied worldwide. The plays’ originality, wit, and democratic spirit, reflecting deep and acute social problems, ensured their immense popularity in many countries today. The British playwrights’ peculiar and subtle sense of humor permeates the work. British dramas and comedies make the reader think about the most important aspects of human relationships, personal qualities, and earthly existence.