English Stage Company

British theatre company formed in 1956 for the presentation of contemporary drama. It opened at the Royal Court Theatre in London, its permanent home, under the direction of George Devine. Among dramatists whose plays have been performed are John Arden, Samuel Beckett, Bertolt Brecht, Jean Genet, Eugène Ionesco, John Osborne, and Arnold Wesker. The company dedicates itself particularly to performing new works by emerging writers.

Look Back in Anger (1956) by John Osborne, which sparked off a revival in post-war British drama and the angry young men was one of the plays in the company's first repertory season.

Other productions include John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation (1992), David Mamet's Oleanna (1993), Jez Butterworth's Mojo (1995), Ayub Khan Din's East is East (1996), Mark Ravenhill's Shopping and F∗∗∗ing (1996), and Conor McPherson's The Weir (1997).