This book looks at political theatre of the last decade in response to the war on terror, discussing how a new form of nationalistic sensibility emerged in response to the events of 9/11. The patriotic fervor with which the US and British governments declared and pursued a war on terror after terrorist attacks at home had serious ramifications for theatre artists working in these two countries, and the events serve as a unifying background for the book. Essays show that not only did legislation like the Patriot Act have a chilling effect on political theatre, but the sensibilities of audiences, and their ability to tolerate a certain level of critique during a time of war, required different theatrical strategies and gave rise to different forms of protest theatre. This collection takes up a range of political theatre strategies that will surely become associated with this decade of theatre: from contemporary anti-war street protests, to verbatim theatre pieces, to adaptations within traditional theatre venues, to surprising work by playwrights already associated with progressive political drama. The book also takes up some examples of theatrical responses that happened in a broader cultural arena: the Lysistrata Project and the Concert for New York, performance at a progressive lesbian music festival and performance on conservative television airways, site-specific theatre, and theatre that simply moved outside. Focusing on aesthetic responses to the war on terror, this collection goes beyond history and political theory to consider new forms of protest theatre.

This collection documents and examines political and protest theatre produced between the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and Obama's election in 2008 by British and American artists responding to their own governments' actions and policies during this time. The plays take up topics such as the ongoing wars on terror, Blair's support of U.S. policies, the flawed intelligence that led to the Iraq war, and illegal detentions and torture at Abu Ghraib. The authors argue that engaged artists faced a radically different sociopolitical context for their work after 9/11 compared to earlier social protest movements and new forms of theatre, and different emotional strategies were necessary to meet the challenges. The subtitle Patriotic Dissent suggests the double stance of many artists-- influenced by patriotic expressions of national solidarity, yet critical of the ways that patriotic language was put to use against others. The articles represent a broad range of theatre: Broadway musicals, documentary theatre, adaptations of classical theatre, new plays by British playwrights, street performances and installations, and musical concerts. The contributors' case studies evaluate the effectiveness of important instances of political theatre and protest from this decade, arguing for the significance, relevance, and continuing necessity for evolving forms of political theatre today.