Joan Littlewood was born and raised in Stockwell, South London. She won a scholarship to train at RADA but she felt alienated in a world of such privilege and soon left the academy. She moved to Manchester in 1934, where she met the folk singer Jimmie Miller (later known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, who would become her collaborator and husband. They established Theatre of Action, an ensemble company dedicated to rebelling against classical theatre and instead producing hard-hitting, relatable plays for the working classes. One of the plays produced at Theatre of Action (The Last Edition) was seized by the authorities for causing a breach of the peace.
Shortly after, Littlewood began to produce a series of brutally frank documentaries for the BBC in which she explored social politics. In 1941, the BBC banned her from broadcasting on the network, alleging that she held extreme communist views and was a threat to the nation. As a result, she was investigated by MI5 for almost two decades.
In 1945, Littlewood established Theatre Workshop and toured with the company for eight years. She offered training schemes that focused specifically on movement, voice, and improvisation, which was radical at the time. In 1953, Theatre Workshop took up residence in the Theatre Royal Stratford and proceeded to establish an internationally acclaimed reputation. Littlewood directed the British premiere of Brecht’s Mother Courage (which she also starred in) and produced the premiere of Shelagh Delaney’s A Taste of Honey in 1958.
Today, Littlewood is most associated with her epic musical Oh, What a Lovely War!. This satirical exploration of the First World War brought her international recognition, transferring to the West End and premiering on Broadway, where Littlewood was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Director. It was later made into a film by Richard Attenborough, although Littlewood disliked the film immensely.
Littlewood passed away in 2002 at the age of 87. Her life was honored in the musical Miss Littlewood by the RSC in 2018.
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