Global Insights on Theatre Censorship

Over a range of countries and political regimes, this book examines forms of theatre censorship in the 20th and 21st centuries. It revisits assumptions about prohibition and state control, examining theatre censorship as a continuum ranging from the unconscious self-censorship built into social structures and discursive practices, through bureaucratic regulation or unofficial influence, to detention and physical violence. Focusing on right-wing dictatorships, postcolonial regimes, communist systems, and Western democracies, essays analyze methods and discourses of censorship, identify the multiple agents involved, visit responses of theatremakers, and study political and cultural contexts.