Beerbohm Tree and "The New Drama"

Abstract

Nineteen fifty-six was an important anniversary year in the history of the modern theatre. Not only was it the year of Shaw's centennial, but it also marked the half-century which has elapsed since the death of Ibsen. We are accustomed to think of Ibsen and Shaw together. In 1891 Shaw officially proclaimed himself the quintessential Ibsenite, and by 1892 had begun his own career as playwright. During this same decade, he and William Archer were leading the great fight to establish Ibsen's plays on the English stage. The word "new" became a catchword of the time: Archer, dramatic critic for the World, was the leading representative of the so-called "new criticism"; Shaw became a conspicuous practitioner of "the new drama"; Ibsen was generally regarded as the patron, if not the originator, of "the new woman" and "the new morality."