Asst. Lecturer Rayan tatarkhan Nawroz University KITCHEN SINK DRAMA Asst. Lecturer Rayan tatarkhan Nawroz University

Kitchen sink realism Kitchen sink realism (or kitchen sink drama) is a term coined to describe a British cultural movement which developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Theatre ,Art, Novels, Film and Television , whose 'heroes' usually could be described as ‘Angry young men’. It used a style of Social realism  which often depicted the domestic situations of Working class Britons living in rented accommodation and spending their off-hours in grimy pubs to explore social issues and political controversies.

Origins of Kitchen sink realism In the UK, the term "kitchen sink" derived from an expressionist painting by John Bratby, which contained an image of a kitchen sink. The critic David Sylvester wrote an article in 1954 about trends in recent English art, calling his article "The Kitchen Sink" in reference to Bratby's picture. Sylvester argued that there was a new interest among young painters in domestic scenes, with stress on the banality of life.

John Bratby

British Social Realism Social realism in films is representative of real life, with all its difficulties. The stories and people portrayed are everyday characters, usually from working class backgrounds. Typically, films within the social realist canon are gritty, urban dramas about the struggle to survive the daily grind.

Kitchen sink realism The films, plays and novels using this style are often set in poorer industrial areas in the North of England, and use the rough-hewn speaking accents and slang heard in those regions. John Osborne’s play, ‘Look back in Anger’(1956) is thought of as the first of the idiom. The conventions of the genre have continued into the 2000s, with TV shows such as Eastenders and Shameless.

The man who turned anger into art JOHN OSBORNE The man who turned anger into art

JOHN OSBORNE He is the Oscar-winning screenwriter, British playwright and film producer whose Look Back in Anger (performed 1956) ushered in a new movement in British drama and made him known as the first of the “Angry Young Men”.

Look Back in Anger The first performance of John Osborne’s famous play Look Back in Anger at the Royal Court Theatre on 8 May 1956 is commonly regarded as the beginning of a new era in the British Drama. One of the famous critics of its time, John Russell Taylor, calls the play “the beginning of a revolution in the British theatre”

Look Back in Anger can be considered as a moment of change and also a reaction. Because, since the end of World War II British theatre was believed to have been in rapid decline. Audiences were falling off and theatres were closing all over the country.

Some of the theatre companies were restaging Chekhov, Ibsen, Shaw plays and Restoration comedies. Most of the companies were trying to restore Elizabethan theatre by restaging Shakespeare’s plays over and over.

According to Raymond Williams Look Back in Anger is “the beginning of a revolt against orthodox middle-class drama” because he believes that “what passes for realistic drama is in fact telling lies; it is not about real people in real situations, but about conventional characters (superficial and flattering) in conventional situations (theatrical and unreal)”

For the great number of the critics Jimmy Porter is regarded as the first non-middle class, provincial, antiestablishment anti-hero in modern British drama. Jimmy Porter is a British man of working-class background with a university degree and working at a candy stall despite his graduate degree.

The setting is “a one-room flat in a large Midland Town The setting is “a one-room flat in a large Midland Town... a fairly large attic room... most of the furniture is simple, and rather old”. As for the language of the play it might be said that it is realistic. Jimmy shouts and swears most of the time he opens his mouth to talk.

After the success of the play, theatre companies began to provide platforms for a succession of new playwrights such as Shelagh Delaney, John Arden, Arnold Wesker, Harold Pinter, and John Mortimer. Like Osborne these new and young playwrights were mostly of working class background.

Most importantly these new dramatists were mostly involved in the theatre. For instance, both John Osborne and Harold Pinter were actors before they turned to playwriting.

When Look Back in Anger first appeared, most of the critics of the time regarded the play primarily as a play of political and social rebellion and labeled the movement, as ‘angry young men.’ Jimmy Porter was considered as the mouthpiece for an angry man’s disillusion about the society he lived in. Therefore, John Osborne was reckoned the first of the ‘angry young men.’

Kitchen sink realism gave birth to social realism, in which real life was presented to the audience. This genre of film showed real life situations and realistic characters.

Major Themes The Angry Young Man, The Kitchen Sink Drama, Loss of Childhood, Real Life, Sloth in British Culture, The Rise and Fall of the British Empire.

Abdul- played by Vivek Abdul is a young confident Muslim. His parents are trying to find a young woman for him to have an arranged marriage. The story will portray his struggle of being a homosexual which do not coincide with his religion. In fact it is a sin.

Maya- played by Bianca Maya is a 16 year old girl, who is being brought up on a council estate by her single mum. Maya became pregnant four months ago by her ex boyfriend. The story will show her struggle through teenage pregnancy.

Dudley- played by Daniel Dudley, played by Daniel is facing terrible family problems. His father is an alcoholic who, when drunk, takes his angry feelings out on Dudley’s mother. During the film, Dudley is struggling to cope with school and family life, having to pretend that every thing is ok, when secretly knowing that all is not ok behind the closed doors of his home.