Michael Patterson analyzes a group of twentieth century British playwrights' respective strategies for persuading audiences of the need for radical restructuring of society. He examines plays by Arnold Wesker, John Arden, Trevor Griffith, Howard Barker, Howard Brenton, Edward Bond, David Hare, John McGrath and Caryl Churchill. Each chapter is devoted to an exploration of the engagement of individual playwrights with left-wing political theatre, including a detailed analysis of one of their major plays.