This House

For the first time, this play - first performed in 2012 at the National Theatre - is published in the Methuen Drama Student Edition series. It features commentary & notes by Nicholas Holden, Lecturer in Drama at the University of Greenwich, UK, that help the student unpack the play's social, political and cultural context, as well as its themes, language, structure and production history.

In tough times, the British do what we have always done. We muddle through.

This House is a razor-sharp political comedy exploring Westminster and the 1974 British hung parliament, which provides a timely historical correlative to the current political climate.

It's the play that secured the then-30-year-old James Graham's reputation as one of the UK's most important and revered dramatists, gaining critical acclaim, enjoying a sell-out run at the National Theatre's Olivier in 2013 and being revived in the West End in 2017, when it was Olivier-nominated.

With well-paced, witty and waspish dialogue, it explores the childish digs and chauvinistic attitudes that have riddled political life both then and continue to do so now.

James Graham: A Timeline


Introduction

Context:
- The Playwright in Context
- A Political Play for Today
- The 1970s

Themes:
- Structures of Power
- Representations of Class
- The Women of Parliament

Dramatic Devices:
- Foreshadowing
- Music and Sound
- Scenography

Further Exploration

The Language of Parliament: A Glossary

This House

Notes