The only book currently available on Joan Littlewood and her company, 'Theatre Workshop', this book explores the background to, and the work of a major influence on twentieth- and twenty-first-century performance.

Part of the successful Routledge Performance Practitioners series, this book uses original archival material to explore Joan Littlewood a theatrical and cultural innovator whose contributions to theatre made a huge impact on the way theatre was generated, rehearsed and presented during the twentieth century.

This is the first book to combine:

• an overview of Littlewood's career in relation to the wider social, political and cultural context
• an exploration of Littlewood's theatrical influences, approach to actor's training, belief in the creative ensemble, attitude to text, rehearsal methods and use of improvisation
• a detailed case study of the origins, research, creative process and thinking behind Littlewood's most famous production, Oh What a Lovely War, and an assessment of its impact
• a series of practical exercises designed to capture and illustrate the key approaches Littlewood used in the rehearsal room.

As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on to further, primary research, Joan Littlewood is unbeatable value for today's student.