The only book currently available on Joan Littlewood and her company, Theatre Workshop, this book explores the background to, and the work of a major influence on twentieth- and twenty-first-century performance. Part of the successful "Routledge Performance Practitioners" series, this book uses original archival material to explore Joan Littlewood - a theatrical and cultural innovator whose contributions to theatre made a huge impact on the way theatre was generated, rehearsed and presented during the twentieth century. This is the first book to combine: an overview of Littlewood's career in relation to the wider social, political and cultural context; an exploration of Littlewood's theatrical influences, approach to actor's training, belief in the creative ensemble, attitude to text, rehearsal methods and use of improvisation; a detailed case study of the origins, research, creative process and thinking behind Littlewood's most famous production, "Oh What a Lovely War", and an assessment of its impact; and a series of practical exercises designed to capture and illustrate the key approaches Littlewood used in the rehearsal room. As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on to further, primary research, "Joan Littlewood" is unbeatable value for today's student.