Play Details
Context
Artistic Director
Dominic Cooke
Dates Performed
Friday 23rd June 2006
Multiple spaces at the Royal Court
Form
Play Details
Synopsis
The Royal Court Theatre, London, 1970 and 2006
In Bruce Norris’s The Year of the Fringe, the Royal Court Theatre became a crucible of counterculture as it revisits its groundbreaking 1970 festival. Set in a canary-yellow auditorium, the play oscillates between the original event and its 2006 recreation, exploring the evolution of experimental theatre and social attitudes.
Norris weaves together a tapestry of performances, from Jean Claude van Itallie’s anti-war piece America Hurrah to the provocative Burka or Bondage?, examining cultural clashes and artistic revolution. Through characters like the enigmatic Roddy Maude-Roxby and the ensemble of The People Show, the play delves into themes of artistic freedom, political protest, and the commodification of counterculture.