Theatre of the People Donald Wolfit’s Shakespearean Productions 1937-1953

This book looks at how performances of Shakespeare in the Second World War (and post-war years) not only commented on the strife happening outside the theatre, but drew audiences together in a shared sense of community as a way of resisting the enemy. This examination is through the lens of one particular theatre actor/manager, Donald Wolfit, whose productions were extremely popular at the time. Wolfit was the model for “Sir” in Ronald Harwood’s play The Dresser and is remembered fondly by British audiences.