The Fascination of Fascism: The Plays of Stephen Poliakoff

Abstract

Born in 1952, Stephen Poliakoff has already established for himself an enviable reputation as a dramatist. He showed early promise. His first professionally produced play, Day With My Sister, was written while he was still at Westminster School and presented at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh in 1971 Five years and seven plays later, 1976 saw the transfer to the West End of his play City Sugar; its companion-piece, Hitting Town, televised by Thames Television; an award as the Evening Standard's "Most Promising Playwright"; and appointment as "Writer in Residence" at the National Theatre. The Company produced Strawberry Fields in 1977, and Britain's other prestigious "national" theatre company, the Royal Shakespeare, presented Shout Across the River in the following year. Poliakoff's most recent success has been in the medium of television drama where his screen-play Caught on a Train won the 1981 BAFTA award for the Best Single Play, as well as the Television Critics' Best Play Award, and was B.B.C. Television's entry for the Prix Italia.