British Theatre and the Legacy of World War I: ‘Makeshifts’ and ‘Realities’

The British Theatre of WWI Theatre Project (2012 - ) has a record of encouraging audiences to widen their understandings of the war, its culture and its legacy. The project (submitted as an Impact case study in REF 2020) has collaborated on multi-stranded research-based events in various locations with a range of organisations. One strand has involved bringing First World War theatre back to life via stage performances of works from 1914-18, notably J.M. Barrie’s A Well-Remembered Voice (2016) and Robert Graves’s But It Still Goes On (Finborough Theatre 2018; 1,155 attendees). A third play, Jane Clegg, was revived at the Finborough Theatre in 2019 receiving widespread coverage (BBC; Guardian etc). When it was staged 950 people attended; 10,000 watched the filmed version on YouTube. These collaborations allowed the project to demonstrate the historical significance of these neglected works, their emotional resonance and their relevance to audiences today beyond a small circle of specialists.