Theatre in the Community Essay examples -- Drama

Theatre in the familiarityBritain in 1979 was a place of great depart and division. Although thecountry had united in the election of Margaret Thatcher as the firstConservative woman Prime minister by the early 1980s one could citethat the country was spiralling into a state of decline. This was vastly repayable to the disarray of the previous Labour government and theimplementation of the Conservative governments robust entitle ofeconomic management.All spheres of social and cultural purport were to be judged on theireconomic terms and values. This is particularly true within the Arts.In Politics of exertion Baz Kershaw describes how, Privateenterprise was to replace earthly concern dependency, so cuts in government,expenditure, including that on the arts, were inevitable. This stemsback largely to the ideological principals of conservatism.Conservatism believes in the self reliant bureau of the individual. Itstrongly allows for the expansion of public enterprise and so fr ownsupon state intervention and avoids assistance towards publicdependency. Therefore, where it was seen that some areas of publiclife, such as the arts, were financially run, cuts were madewhere necessary to ensure that funds were washed-out more wisely, largelytowards benefiting enterprise.A culmination of activities throughout the 1980s meant that the artswere one of the key areas of public life that were disregarded infavour of prioritised events. This is in effect where the arts beganto suffer. Although some mainstream orbit was funded by the GLC(Greater London Council), many alternative study groups were seen as needless and as they often highlighted social issues, such ashomosexuality, that were seen as taboo, they were generally avoidedwhen it came to the distribution of funding. This can clearly be seenin Kershaws, Politics of Performance, where Kershaw states, Thedivisions in British society were also reflected in the ontogenydistance between the top and bottom of the theatrical pyramid duringthe 1980s. In 1982 the Royal Shakespeare Company had locomote into thehuge concrete edifice of the Barbican in the City of London. Thefollowing grade, a government- ordered investigation into the RSC (thePristley report) concluded that counter to government suspicions- thecompany was cost-effective but under funded to the ... ...iece was heavilyinfluenced by the necessarily of a local disability group.Community theatres range in size from small groups led by singleindividuals performing in borrowed spaces, to large year roundcompanies with elaborate well equipped theatres of their own. Manycommunity theatres are successful non-profit businesses with a largeactive membership and, in some cases, a full time professional staff.As the performers and former(a) artists are also involved in other aspectsof their community, non-professional theatre can develop a all-embracing baseof support and attendance among those who might not normally supportthe professi onal arts. Community theatre is in fact well documented asbeing the most widely attended venue for theatre in America andAustralia.Community theatre is often seen as adding to the social capital of acommunity, in that it develops skills and community spirit for thoseinvolved. Furthermore, it can also create a place for debate,self-expression and interactivity that is important for the wellness ofa community. When this can involve people with encyclopaedism disabilities,for example, it can disarm prejudices that people encounter on a dailybasis. Theatre in the Community Essay examples -- DramaTheatre in the CommunityBritain in 1979 was a place of great change and division. Although thecountry had united in the election of Margaret Thatcher as the firstConservative woman Prime minister by the early 1980s one could saythat the country was spiralling into a state of decline. This waslargely due to the disarray of the previous Labour government and theimplementation of t he Conservative governments robust style ofeconomic management.All spheres of social and cultural life were to be judged on theireconomic terms and values. This is particularly true within the Arts.In Politics of Performance Baz Kershaw describes how, Privateenterprise was to replace public dependency, so cuts in government,expenditure, including that on the arts, were inevitable. This stemsback largely to the ideological principals of conservatism.Conservatism believes in the self reliant role of the individual. Itstrongly allows for the expansion of public enterprise and thus frownsupon state intervention and avoids assistance towards publicdependency. Therefore, where it was seen that some areas of publiclife, such as the arts, were financially draining, cuts were madewhere necessary to ensure that funds were spent more wisely, largelytowards benefiting enterprise.A culmination of activities throughout the 1980s meant that the artswere one of the key areas of public life that wer e disregarded infavour of prioritised events. This is effectively where the arts beganto suffer. Although some mainstream theatre was funded by the GLC(Greater London Council), many alternative theatre groups were seen asunnecessary and as they often highlighted social issues, such ashomosexuality, that were seen as taboo, they were generally avoidedwhen it came to the distribution of funding. This can clearly be seenin Kershaws, Politics of Performance, where Kershaw states, Thedivisions in British society were also reflected in the growingdistance between the top and bottom of the theatrical pyramid duringthe 1980s. In 1982 the Royal Shakespeare Company had moved into thehuge concrete edifice of the Barbican in the City of London. Thefollowing year, a government- ordered investigation into the RSC (thePristley report) concluded that counter to government suspicions- thecompany was efficient but under funded to the ... ...iece was heavilyinfluenced by the needs of a local disabili ty group.Community theatres range in size from small groups led by singleindividuals performing in borrowed spaces, to large year roundcompanies with elaborate well equipped theatres of their own. Manycommunity theatres are successful non-profit businesses with a largeactive membership and, in some cases, a full time professional staff.As the performers and other artists are also involved in other aspectsof their community, non-professional theatre can develop a broad baseof support and attendance among those who might not normally supportthe professional arts. Community theatre is in fact well documented asbeing the most widely attended venue for theatre in America andAustralia.Community theatre is often seen as adding to the social capital of acommunity, in that it develops skills and community spirit for thoseinvolved. Furthermore, it can also create a place for debate,self-expression and interactivity that is important for the health ofa community. When this can involve people w ith learning disabilities,for example, it can disarm prejudices that people encounter on a dailybasis.