This article explores the ways in which contemporary theatre is engaging with English national questions. In the context of the current devolutionary movements in Britain, I apply a national specificity, focusing on plays and performances which address the politics of just one of the three nations within Britain: England. While this study of the specifics of England and Englishness is already well-established in literary studies (Gardiner) and political science (Kenny; Nairn), there is yet to be a sustained critical engagement with England in theatre studies. Following a discussion of Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem (2009) in light of its planned West End revival in 2022, I then turn to two recent theatrical representations of England in Mike Bartlett’s Albion (2017 and 2020) and the Young Vic’s My England shorts (2019), which I propose offer more rigorous, reflexive explorations into English national identity. As questions over England’s cultural and political representation become increasingly loaded and difficult to navigate, I suggest that the beginnings of this English national register in the theatre marks an attempt to nuance these debates, opening a productive space for critical inquiry.

中文翻译：

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这就是 2021 年的英格兰：在当代戏剧中上演英格兰和英国性

本文探讨了当代戏剧与英国国家问题互动的方式。在英国当前的权力下放运动的背景下，我应用了一个国家特性，专注于解决英国三个国家之一的政治的戏剧和表演：英格兰。虽然这项关于英格兰和英国特性的研究已经在文学研究（加德纳）和政治学（肯尼；奈恩）中确立了地位，但在戏剧研究中还没有与英格兰进行持续的批判性接触。在讨论了 Jez Butterworth 的《耶路撒冷》（2009 年），鉴于其计划在 2022 年复兴西区，然后我转向最近在 Mike Bartlett 的 Albion （2017 和 2020 年）和 Young Vic 的 My England 短裤（2019 年）中对英格兰的两部戏剧表演, 我建议对英国民族认同进行更严格、更反思的探索。随着有关英格兰文化和政治代表的问题变得越来越繁重且难以驾驭，我建议在剧院开始这个英国国家登记册标志着尝试细微差别这些辩论，为批判性调查开辟了富有成效的空间。