Referencing Jim Cartwright material- What are the merits and pitfalls of producing his work within
a non-northern setting?
Jim Cartwright is a play write that has written multiple award winning plays such as ‘Road’ in 1986
and ‘Bed’ in 1988. Many of his plays carry a huge amount to say about society and life in a Northern
town (Ahad, 2020). Cartwright’s plays are arguably centred in the heart of Northerners and lead
many people and tell a story that centres around their struggles throughout Thatcher’s reign on
society. Although Thatcher suggested that she wanted to make Britain greater, this was clearly not
the case for the North who were left un-employed and reeling. Many would argue that Cartwright’s
plays are the heart of reviving history and helping the audience learn from past mistakes. In this
essay, I will be discussing both the merits and pitfalls of performing a Northern-based Cartwright
play in a non-Northern setting and how performing someone else’s history impacts society in the 21 st
century.
To start with, I will take a look at the merits of performing a Jim Cartwright play in a Northern
setting. Cartwright’s plays rely heavily on the context and history of the Northern culture with
characters who resonate with the real lives of local people. The north is most historically known for
their downfall in the rise of Margret Thatcher, and being economically destroyed by her policies,
leading to a major damage to the everyday lives of the people who lived there. Although this is not
the main storyline focused upon in every of Cartwright’s plays, it is a theme that runs underneath.
For example, in Cartwrights play ‘Road’ the character of Eddie states “England’s Cruel” as a direct
address to how bad life has gotten since Thatcher has been in charge. As a result, many would agree
that plays that have been purposefully set in the North should be solely performed and based their
too, because the damage that was done to them, is a truth that can be told only by those who
experienced it and are still reeling from it in today’s society. Additionally, another merit to
performing in a Northern setting, would be the use of the slang used throughout the dialogue of the
plays. Since Jim Cartwright was born and raised in the North of England, it is indisputable that his
English tongue will carry Northern phrases and this is an aspect that is infused into his work as
shown in the 1989 play ‘Two’ with the character Fred commenting on his problem as “a swizz” which
is a northern alternative for disappointing. Using this language whilst performing up North, allows
the audience to have a clearer understanding of the characters conversations as well as having a
clear connection with the words and slang they use.
Alternatively, there are equally as many merits to performing Jim Cartwright material in a non-
northern setting. Many themes that run through Cartwrights plays, are relevant to people all over
the world such as the theme of alcoholism and vulnerability in his plays most prominently seen in his
plays, Two,
Find examples from JC plays
Back it up
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ahad, N. (2020) Jim Cartwright play shines light on gritty reality of life in the north. Available at:
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/arts-and-culture/theatre-and-stage/jim-cartwright-play-shines-
light-gritty-reality-life-north-2002191
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/apr/14/margaret-thatcher-20-changes-britain
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22124996
https://metropolitics.org/The-effects-of-Thatcherism-in-the.html
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/jul/21/on-jim-cartwrights-road-from-thatcher-to-
austerity-britain
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/domesticabuse
inenglandandwalesoverview/november2020#:~:text=the%20Crime%20Survey%20for%20England
%20and%20Wales%20showed%20that%20an,decrease%20from%20the%20previous%20year
https://www.dramaclasses.biz/bertolt-brecht-techniques-and-factsbertolt-brecht-techniques-and-
facts
https://www.varsity.co.uk/theatre/18537
