Political theatre has re-emerged strongly since 1995, to articulate changed issues, alignments and definitions of politics and power in Britain. New work by both young and established dramatists contests the post-Thatcher mood of disengagement, creating exciting debates about the power and responsibility of individuals, defining characteristics and issues of the nation, the interaction of cultural collectives with the nation as a whole, and Britain's relationship with other nations in the world.

This study focuses on themes and techniques of empowerment in the full range of produced plays by Caryl Churchill from 1960 to the present. The playwright is well known for combining theatrical inventiveness with uncompromising social critique. She is one of the very few contemporary women playwrights to have achieved international prominence, and she has done so on the basis of a forthright socialist-feminist stand.