The Arbor and Realism of Andrea Dunbar

The Royal Court’s first encounter with Andrea Dunbar was through her debut play, The Arbor. Written in green ink on pages torn from a school exercise book, the raw script was submitted to the Young Writers’ Festival by the manager of a women’s refuge in Keighley, West Yorkshire. Written in Yorkshire dialect, it immediately stood out to director, Max Stafford-Clarke, who had grown weary of the “gloomy dramas” and “twelve-page bloody sagas on the death of Mary Queen of Scots” that dominated the submissions. Dunbar’s plays stood in contrast to other productions in the Royal Court’s programme, like Hamlet, as it offered a raw depiction of contemporary working-class life: real people living in real circumstances. The play focuses on a family of five from Bradford, with its protagonist simply named ‘Girl.’

Unlike many playwrights who worked with the Royal Court and came from established or middle-class backgrounds, Andrea Dunbar’s relationship with the theatre was notably different. She came from a place known for poverty, violence, and social isolation, and the theatre had to adapt to her reality just as much as she adapted to theirs. Unlike most writers, communication with her was fraught with logistical challenges – sending payment had to be done carefully if at all, and home life often took priority over art.

“Here’s a bit of writing I’ve done, it’s not much really. That’s because I’ve had to take [my daughter] out of the nursery.”

Despite her success at the Royal Court, Dunbar’s life was far from easy and finding time and space to write was not straight-forward. She experienced the same struggles as her characters, from housing instability to domestic violence and family dysfunction, and once expressed regret over ever beginning to write, given the additional pressures it brought to her already tumultuous life. 

At the time, the press focused more on her background than her work, and she was hailed ‘the genius from the slums’, but her realism wasn’t just a dramatic tool; it was a reflection of the social climate. Dunbar was a documentarian of sorts, capturing the unfiltered reality of life at home. 

“The facts are there,” Dunbar told the BBC’s Arts Arena programme, insisting that she wanted to write the truth: “Nowadays, people want to face up to what’s actually happening.” 

When The Arbor premiered in 1980, Britain was undergoing significant social and political shifts. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw the decline of traditional industries, leading to rising unemployment and widespread disillusionment. Policies that prioritised individualism and reduced welfare support to marginalised communities like the one Dunbar depicted in her work. The housing estates where her characters lived were often symbols of neglect, with many residents left to navigate poverty, crime, and limited access to public services.

“I didn’t find it shocking to write about what happened on the estate. It was simply my normality. Why wouldn’t I just write about what I saw and lived? It was never about making it dramatic or shocking—it’s just what happened.”

The Arbor draws directly from Dunbar’s own experiences. The protagonist, ‘GIRL’ serves an autobiographical role, as we follow her through various life experiences: getting pregnant, having a miscarriage, and eventually leaving her abusive ex. These events are presented with a straightforward, matter-of-fact honesty that underscores Dunbar’s commitment to realism. Through ‘GIRL,’ Dunbar paints a vivid picture of what it means to live a life burdened by systemic neglect, while offering viewers an intimate glimpse into the struggles faced by young women in impoverished communities. The narrative shows how deeply personal issues like miscarriage or domestic abuse are interconnected with broader societal problems, and how these experiences are shaped by a lack of opportunities or support. Dunbar’s choice to leave her protagonist unnamed is a reminder that ‘GIRL’ could be any young woman, reinforcing the universality of these struggles.

The Arbor also offers an honest portrayal of the racial tensions prevalent in Britain. The lead character’s relationship with a British Pakistani boy, incites fierce and vocal stigmatisation from her family and neighbours, highlighting how personal struggles are compounded by racial hostility. Dunbar does not idealise these communities or gloss over the racism she witnessed, and The Arbor was one of the first plays to bring these tensions to the fore in such a candid way​.

Dunbar infused moments of humour throughout the play, allowing her characters—and by extension, the audience—to display resilience in the face of hardship. This balance of humour and tragedy allowed her audience to connect more deeply with the characters and understand their experiences in a more nuanced way. It’s in these moments of laughter that we see the resilience and complexity of the human spirit, even when it seems as though everything else has been stripped away.

Andrea Dunbar’s The Arbor remains a pivotal work in British theatre, offering a bold look at the intersection of personal experience and social commentary. Her raw and candid storytelling carved out a space for voices often unheard in theatre. By putting her own community’s struggles on stage, Dunbar challenged not only the audience but also the broader narrative of what stories were deemed worthy of being told in British theatre. Her depiction of working-class life, presented without sensationalism or romanticism, continues to resonate because it speaks to the ongoing realities faced by many people today.