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Chapter 5 - Subsidised Theatre

Strength, Elitism, Metropolitanism, Racism

from Part II - Theatre Sectors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2024

Jen Harvie
Affiliation:
Queen Mary University of London
Dan Rebellato
Affiliation:
Royal Holloway, University of London
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Summary

This chapter examines the newly expanded and transformed theatre ecology enabled by the post-war rise of central government subsidy to the arts. It explores subsidy’s ambitions, achievements, and benefits, but also its turbulence and the ideological risks embedded in its deeply ambivalent objectives to foster elite arts but also democratise the arts. The chapter begins by giving a history of British theatre subsidy and considers its contribution to the development of theatre as one of Britain’s great cultural assets through its visionary promotion of such things as artists’ independence, the expansion of theatre infrastructure, and a conception of theatre as a civic right. The chapter then considers some of the hazards arising from how theatre subsidy has been practised by the Arts Council of Great Britain (and successor organisations), especially its tendency to reinforce elite privileges of metropolitanism, class, and whiteness. The chapter critiques the elitism of British arts subsidy’s legacy and proposes transformation of its practices to become more accountable, more democratic, and more dispersed, helping to make British theatre and culture more diverse and better informed by a greater variety of imaginations.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • Subsidised Theatre
  • Edited by Jen Harvie, Queen Mary University of London, Dan Rebellato, Royal Holloway, University of London
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to British Theatre since 1945
  • Online publication: 14 March 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108377850.009
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  • Subsidised Theatre
  • Edited by Jen Harvie, Queen Mary University of London, Dan Rebellato, Royal Holloway, University of London
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to British Theatre since 1945
  • Online publication: 14 March 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108377850.009
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Subsidised Theatre
  • Edited by Jen Harvie, Queen Mary University of London, Dan Rebellato, Royal Holloway, University of London
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to British Theatre since 1945
  • Online publication: 14 March 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108377850.009
Available formats
×