British Culture since 1945 Part III

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject English - Applied Geography, grade: sehr gut, University of Innsbruck (Translationswissenschaft), language: English, abstract: The idea came from plans to celebrate the midpoint of the century and at the same time the centenary of the Great Exhibition (of arts and merchandise) in 1851 to show the whole world Britain's wealth and power. It was a time when Britain had begun to over come the consequences of World War II. The Festival was a symbol of hope for the whole nation and marked the end of austerity and the beginning of wealth. The Royal Festival Hall is on the south bank of the River Thames. It was constructed for the Festival in Britain, opened in 1951 and seats nearly 3000 people. A lot of concerts with international orchestras but also literary works are performed in this concert hall and a lot of exhibitions take place in this building.

The Festival of Britain 1951 and The Royal Festival Hall are mentioned in Hare's play "Plenty" ( further information on David Hare: view presentation).

Scene four of the play takes the audience to the Festival of Britain. This scene takes place on May 4, 1951, the opening day of

the Festival. The Festival was a celebration of the midpoint of the new century and of the centenary of the Great Exhibition in 1851. The author describes the celebratory fireworks of the Festival. At the opening night Susan and Mick stand talking about having a child and look across the Thames.

The Festival "was a vast sprawl of exhibits covering 27 acres on the South Bank, including the newly opened Festival Hall 3 and the area where the National Theatre now stands."