Theatre in the Community Essay examples -- Drama

Theatre in the Community Britain in 1979 was a place of great change and division. Although the country had united in the election of Margaret Thatcher as the first Conservative woman Prime minister by the early 1980’s one could say that the country was spiralling into a state of decline. This was largely due to the disarray of the previous Labour government and the implementation of the Conservative government’s robust style of economic management. All spheres of social and cultural life were to be judged on their economic terms and values. This is particularly true within the Arts. In ‘Politics of Performance’ Baz Kershaw describes how, â€Å"Private enterprise was to replace public dependency, so cuts in government, expenditure, including that on the arts, were inevitable.† This stems back largely to the ideological principals of conservatism. Conservatism believes in the self reliant role of the individual. It strongly allows for the expansion of public enterprise and thus frowns upon state intervention and avoids assistance towards public dependency. Therefore, where it was seen that some areas of public life, such as the arts, were â€Å"financially draining†, cuts were made where necessary to ensure that funds were spent more wisely, largely towards benefiting enterprise. A culmination of activities throughout the 1980’s meant that the arts were one of the key areas of public life that were disregarded in favour of prioritised events. This is effectively where the arts began to suffer. Although some mainstream theatre was funded by the GLC (Greater London Council), many alternative theatre groups were seen as unnecessary and as they often highlighted social issues, such as homosexuality, that were seen as taboo, they were generally avoided when it came to the distribution of funding. This can clearly be seen in Kershaw’s, ‘Politics of Performance’, where Kershaw states, â€Å"The divisions in British society were also reflected in the growing distance between the top and bottom of the theatrical pyramid during the 1980’s. In 1982 the Royal Shakespeare Company had moved into the huge concrete edifice of the Barbican in the City of London. The following year, a government- ordered investigation into the RSC (the Pristley report) concluded that counter to government suspicions- the company was efficient but under funded to the ... ...iece was heavily influenced by the needs of a local disability group. Community theatres range in size from small groups led by single individuals performing in borrowed spaces, to large year round companies with elaborate well equipped theatres of their own. Many community theatres are successful non-profit businesses with a large active membership and, in some cases, a full time professional staff. As the performers and other artists are also involved in other aspects of their community, non-professional theatre can develop a broad base of support and attendance among those who might not normally support the professional arts. Community theatre is in fact well documented as being the most widely attended venue for theatre in America and Australia. Community theatre is often seen as adding to the social capital of a community, in that it develops skills and community spirit for those involved. Furthermore, it can also create a place for debate, self-expression and interactivity that is important for the health of a community. When this can involve people with learning disabilities, for example, it can disarm prejudices that people encounter on a daily basis. Theatre in the Community Essay examples -- Drama Theatre in the Community Britain in 1979 was a place of great change and division. Although the country had united in the election of Margaret Thatcher as the first Conservative woman Prime minister by the early 1980’s one could say that the country was spiralling into a state of decline. This was largely due to the disarray of the previous Labour government and the implementation of the Conservative government’s robust style of economic management. All spheres of social and cultural life were to be judged on their economic terms and values. This is particularly true within the Arts. In ‘Politics of Performance’ Baz Kershaw describes how, â€Å"Private enterprise was to replace public dependency, so cuts in government, expenditure, including that on the arts, were inevitable.† This stems back largely to the ideological principals of conservatism. Conservatism believes in the self reliant role of the individual. It strongly allows for the expansion of public enterprise and thus frowns upon state intervention and avoids assistance towards public dependency. Therefore, where it was seen that some areas of public life, such as the arts, were â€Å"financially draining†, cuts were made where necessary to ensure that funds were spent more wisely, largely towards benefiting enterprise. A culmination of activities throughout the 1980’s meant that the arts were one of the key areas of public life that were disregarded in favour of prioritised events. This is effectively where the arts began to suffer. Although some mainstream theatre was funded by the GLC (Greater London Council), many alternative theatre groups were seen as unnecessary and as they often highlighted social issues, such as homosexuality, that were seen as taboo, they were generally avoided when it came to the distribution of funding. This can clearly be seen in Kershaw’s, ‘Politics of Performance’, where Kershaw states, â€Å"The divisions in British society were also reflected in the growing distance between the top and bottom of the theatrical pyramid during the 1980’s. In 1982 the Royal Shakespeare Company had moved into the huge concrete edifice of the Barbican in the City of London. The following year, a government- ordered investigation into the RSC (the Pristley report) concluded that counter to government suspicions- the company was efficient but under funded to the ... ...iece was heavily influenced by the needs of a local disability group. Community theatres range in size from small groups led by single individuals performing in borrowed spaces, to large year round companies with elaborate well equipped theatres of their own. Many community theatres are successful non-profit businesses with a large active membership and, in some cases, a full time professional staff. As the performers and other artists are also involved in other aspects of their community, non-professional theatre can develop a broad base of support and attendance among those who might not normally support the professional arts. Community theatre is in fact well documented as being the most widely attended venue for theatre in America and Australia. Community theatre is often seen as adding to the social capital of a community, in that it develops skills and community spirit for those involved. Furthermore, it can also create a place for debate, self-expression and interactivity that is important for the health of a community. When this can involve people with learning disabilities, for example, it can disarm prejudices that people encounter on a daily basis.