It is a common feature of criticism that the work of dramatists is explored from every conceivable literary angle, while its stage functions are usually neglected. This is particularly unfortunate in the case of John Arden, a writer who … displays acute awareness in his work of the demands and potentialities of the stage. (p. 306)

In his first published work for the stage, "The Waters of Babylon," Arden already shows in his brief note on the sets, not only that he has been aware of the problems involved in staging the play, but also that his knowledge of stage history has suggested solutions to him. The largely realistic form of the play, broken however by the frequent use of verse, might well tempt a director to give it a succession of realistic sets, but this would create scene-shifting problems on the practical level, and would also, I think, reduce...