Saved (play)

Saved
Written by	Edward Bond
Characters	Len Pam Fred Harry Mary Pete Colin Mike Barry Liz
Date premiered	November 1965
Original language	English
Genre	Drama
Setting	1960s London

Saved is a play by Edward Bond which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London in November 1965.

The play itself is set in London during the 1960s. Its subject is the cultural poverty and frustration of a generation of young people on the dole and living on council estates. In response to the censorship of the play, Laurence Olivier wrote a letter to The Observer, saying that: "Saved is not a play for children but it is for grown-ups, and the grown-ups of this country should have the courage to look at it." U.S. novelist Mary McCarthy praised its "remarkable delicacy".

Saved was originally refused a licence without severe cuts by the Lord Chamberlain. When it was performed to large private audiences, the Lord Chamberlain decided to prosecute those who were involved in the production of the play. Although the defendants pleaded guilty and were fined, the case reflected badly on the censorship office and was pivotal in the abolition of theatre censorship a few years later in 1968.

The original cast included John Castle, Tony Selby, Ronald Pickup, Dennis Waterman, William Stewart, Barbara Ferris, Lucy Fleming, Gwen Nelson and Alison Fraser. The creative team included: director William Gaskill and lighting by Eric Baker.

In February 1969, after the abolition of censorship in the 1968 Theatres Act, Saved was given its first full public run at the Royal Court Theatre in London. The revival cast included: Malcolm Tierney (as Len), Kenneth Cranham (as Fred), Patricia Franklin (as Pam), Queenie Watts (as Mary), Tom Chadbon, Peter Blythe and William Gaskill was the director.

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