Introduction
World War Second had a profound effect on the economy and the people of Britishers. From a historical context, after the fierce brutalities of the war, The Great Britain had lost a great toll of her people as well as her "claimed territories". Although America gained a significant share in moulding the destiny of the whole world after her victory, Britain suffered a great deal and such a rapid shift provided a new opportunity for drama in Britain to thrive. The second phase of the modern drama was greatly influenced by both the internal and external turmoil caused by the second Great War. Therefore, pessimism and meaninglessness of life are two main distinctive identifying factors behind the post-war drama. Let's explore different movements and new adaptations of the British Drama after World War Second.
Angry Young Men Movement
Angry Young Men was the first movement that was directly influenced by the war. It was an artistic movement that focused on the display of social and economical issues of the working class. The term was derived from John Osborne's play, Look Back in Anger which featured an unsuccessful marriage of a working-class man and a middle-class woman. These kinds of plays were also known as Kitchen Sink Plays. The plays are known for their cramped apartments with poor neighbours. Some examples of these plays include like, Roots by Arnold Wesker and One Fat Englishman by Amis.
The Theatre of the Absurd
The Absurdist Theatre is the second prominent phase in the post-war plays. As is obvious from the name, The Absurdist Theatre features plays that portray the meaninglessness of life. Samuel Beckett is the chief among the English Absurdist playwrights. He is famous for his play, Waiting for Godot which features an absurd and meaningless quest of two tramps, Estragon and Vladimir, for an unknown person known as Godot. The whole play centres around Godot but he does not show up to satisfy the tramps. Waiting for Godot is a unique play that does not show any development from the plot. The play ends at the beginning.
Radio Plays
Being affordable and easily available, radio sets exploded in popularity all around the globe after the world war. The Post-war era proved fruitful for the development of radio plays. BBC Radio was the platform of choice for Radio Dramas to thrive. Many already performed plays were converted and adapted to be broadcast on the radio. The popular radio dramatist was Caryl Churchill and her first drama was aired in 1962 which was known as The Ants. By the 1973, 9 plays of her were broadcast on the radio which paved her way for the Royal Court Theatre. Apart from plays, novels were also converted to radio plays like Like Men Betrayed.
Conclusion
Thus, British Drama after World War Second saw many innovations and adaptations which made it excessively available to the general people via Radio.
