Internationalist Theatre

Internationalist Theatre emerged in London in September 1980 under the name New Internationalist Theatre. It was founded by Angelique Rockas, a South African Greek actress, with the aim of developing a theatre practice that was international in both repertoire and company composition. The organisation’s stated policy sought a multi-racial ensemble with performers drawn from different cultural groups, challenging the assumption that classical and international drama should be presented through an ethnically uniform cast. The company’s early work established two defining characteristics. First, it presented plays by writers from a range of national traditions, including Jean Genet, Griselda Gambaro, Bertolt Brecht, Luigi Pirandello, Tennessee Williams, August Strindberg and Maxim Gorky. Second, it treated repertory choices as opportunities for historical and political commentary. Its productions frequently placed canonical works in conversation with contemporary conflicts in Britain and abroad. In July 1981, the company staged Genet’s The Balcony. The play’s concern with political theatre, authority and the performance of power was particularly resonant during a period of social tension in London, and the production coincided with the Brixton riots. In October of the same year, Internationalist Theatre presented Gambaro’s The Camp. The play’s depiction of fascist psychology and concentration-camp imagery reflected the political conditions surrounding its creation: Argentina was governed by a military junta, while Gambaro was living in exile in Spain. Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children followed in May 1982. Its anti-war themes were immediately relevant during the Falklands War, which dominated British news and public debate. The production also exposed the cultural resistance faced by the company’s casting policy. Some critics questioned the presence of actors associated with different national backgrounds in a seventeenth-century European war setting. Similar objections appeared in reviews of Pirandello’s Liolà, where the multinational cast and differing accents became a subject of criticism. These reactions are historically significant because they reveal how unconventional casting could itself become a contested artistic issue. Other productions included Tennessee Williams’s In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel, Strindberg’s Miss Julie and Pirandello’s Liolà. The company’s presentation of Gorky’s Enemies in March 1985 was interpreted in relation to the British miners’ strike, then in progress. A critic connected the play’s depiction of worker rebellion with the contemporary industrial dispute. The production also attempted to strip away accent-based populism by having performers speak without distinctive national or regional accents. Reception was broadly favourable across stage publications, although not every production was successful with reviewers. The theatre received attention from publications in Britain and other countries, indicating that its model attracted interest beyond its immediate London base. It achieved charitable status in 1986. Archival records for New Internationalist Theatre from 1981–1982 and Internationalist Theatre from 1983–1985 are held by the British Library. Available sources document the company’s principal period of activity, but do not provide reliable evidence about whether it continues to operate, its current leadership or any present-day commercial structure.

• 1986

  Charitable status obtained

  [1]Internationalist Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Internationalist Theatre received charity status.

• 1985

  Enemies staged

  [1]Internationalist Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Gorky’s Enemies was presented in March and was interpreted in relation to the British miners’ strike.

• 1982

  Mother Courage and Her Children staged

  [1]Internationalist Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The company presented Brecht’s anti-war play in May, during the Falklands War.

• 1981

  The Balcony staged

  [1]Internationalist Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The company presented Jean Genet’s political drama The Balcony in July.

• 1981

  The Camp staged

  [1]Internationalist Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Griselda Gambaro’s anti-fascist play The Camp was presented in October.

• 1980

  Company founded

  [1]Internationalist Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Angelique Rockas founded New Internationalist Theatre in London in September, establishing an international repertoire and multicultural casting policy.

An independent London theatre company positioned around international repertoire, multicultural casting and politically conscious drama.

• Stage production · 1981

  The Balcony

  Internationalist Theatre’s July 1981 production of Jean Genet’s The Balcony examined political manoeuvring, social hierarchy and the theatrical performance of authority. Its presentation came during a period of acute social tension in London and was noted in connection with the Brixton riots.

• Political drama · 1981

  The Camp

  Griselda Gambaro’s The Camp was staged in October 1981. The work explores the psychology and mechanisms of fascism through concentration-camp imagery. Its production reflected the political background of Argentina’s military junta and Gambaro’s exile in Spain.

• Anti-war drama · 1982

  Mother Courage and Her Children

  The company staged Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children in May 1982. Reviewers identified the play’s condemnation of war as especially timely during the Falklands War. The production also became a notable example of the company’s multicultural casting approach.

• International classic

  Liolà

  Internationalist Theatre presented Luigi Pirandello’s Liolà as an English premiere with a multinational cast. Critical discussion focused partly on the differing English, German, Sicilian and Italian accents used by the performers and on the company’s commitment to international casting.

• Political drama · 1985

  Enemies

  Maxim Gorky’s Enemies was staged in March 1985. The production’s account of worker unrest was linked by a critic to the British miners’ strike, while the acting style reportedly avoided strongly differentiated accents and overtly populist characterisation.

• Stage production

  In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel

  A production of Tennessee Williams’s In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel formed part of the company’s international and modern dramatic repertoire.

• Stage production

  Miss Julie

  August Strindberg’s Miss Julie was among the works presented by Internationalist Theatre as part of its programme of internationally recognised drama.

• 1980

  Adopt an internationalist and multicultural theatre policyStrategy

  Background

  The company was created in an environment where theatre casting and repertory were often shaped by national and racial assumptions.

  Action taken

  New Internationalist Theatre adopted an international repertoire and sought a multi-racial ensemble with performers from different cultural groups.

  Aftermath

  The policy defined the company’s identity and generated both favourable attention and criticism, particularly when reviewers questioned the historical plausibility of multinational casting.

  Source

1. 1Internationalist Theatreen.wikipedia.org
2. 2British Library catalogue records for Internationalist Theatre and New Internationalist Theatrebl.uk