Brenton, Howard (1942-…), a British playwright, became known for his often controversial left-wing dramas. Brenton was a leader of the “fringe” movement in British theater. Fringe theater developed during the 1960’s, staging experimental plays in unconventional locations, such as pubs and storefronts. Brenton gained notoriety for his dramas of social criticism that often included explicit sex and violence and obscene language. Brenton’s plays feature harsh portraits of the British upper class, political figures, and especially the police. For Brenton, such authority figures represent the decadence he sees in a British society driven by unchecked capitalism.
Brenton was born on Dec. 13, 1942, in Portsmouth, England. He graduated from Cambridge University in 1965 and then worked as a stage manager. He debuted as a playwright in 1969 with two plays, Revenge and Christie in Love. Magnificence (1973) marked the first appearance of a Brenton play on a major London stage. In the play, Brenton portrayed failed British revolutionaries and urban terrorism. The Churchill Play (1974) is a bleak image of a future United Kingdom in which a hard-line regime uses troops to brutally repress trade unions. The Romans in Britain (1980) is a drama about imperialism and the military. Brenton drew a comparison between the Roman invasion of ancient Britain with the modern British occupation of Northern Ireland. The Genius (1983) is a play about the nuclear arms race. Pravda (1985), a collaboration with the English playwright David Hare, is a biting attack on the British press. The television thriller serial Dead Head (1986) is a continuation of The Churchill Play and one of many dramas Brenton has written for television. Moscow Gold (1990), written with the Indian-born British writer and political activist Tariq Ali, is a study of political change in the former Soviet Union.
In addition to his plays, Brenton has written a novel, Diving for Pearls (1989). His nonfiction was collected in Hot Irons: Diaries, Essays, Journalism (1995).
