Civic Theatres: A Place for Towns
Lead Research Organisation:
Royal Holloway University of London
Department Name: Drama, Theatre and Dance
Abstract
On June 24 2016 the news that a majority had voted to leave the European Union shook the UK arts establishment. Rufus Norris, artistic director of the Royal National Theatre (NT), described it as a 'wake-up call' that revealed profound anti-London sentiments and a fragmented society. Described by Pippa Norris as a 'cultural backlash' (2019), the Brexit vote prompted a period of reflection in the arts community, leading major city-based theatres to reassess their relationship with neighbouring towns and build new programmes to extend their local and national reach. In April 2019 Arts Council England (ACE) called for 'relevance' as well high quality in their future strategy, with the intention to engage a public that, according to ACE's deputy chief executive Simon Mellor, 'has lost all confidence in what they view as an out-of-touch establishment'. One response has been to re-examine the civic role of the arts, described by The Gulbenkian Foundation as 'the sociopolitical impact that organisations make on a place and its people through programmes of activity' (2016). Theatre depends on the live event, bringing people together to share experience, and is particularly well-placed to open pressing questions about new forms of civic equality. This research is timely, but it also looks beyond the current moment to ask deeper questions about the ideal of an inclusive civic theatre today.
The theatre has long been a place for citizens to debate, to meet and learn, and, historically, the ideal of a civic theatre has resurfaced in times of instability and social reform. Civic theatres represented civic pride in Victorian England and newly-built theatres were symbols of hope in the era of post-war reconstruction. Yet traditional ideas of the civic dropped out of favour with arts organisations and cultural policy-makers in the second half of the twentieth century, not least because they carried associations with the arts as 'civilising' that were inherently hierarchical. The ideal of community replaced the notion of civil society, leading publicly funded theatres to establish community programmes that encourage participation. This research will draw on the past to inform the present, and with our Project Partners and Collaborating Organisation, analyse how barriers to creating an inclusive theatre today might be overcome.
This research aims to prompt a national conversation about the civic role of theatre in the twenty-first century. Despite considerable research on theatre in cities, there has been no systematic research on theatres in towns. Towns receive considerably less public subsidy for the arts than cities, and townspeople have fewer opportunities to contribute to the creative economy, despite often supporting a thriving amateur theatre scene. This risks leaving people living in towns feeling disenfranchised and excluded, perpetuating the perception that cities are edgy and forward-looking whereas towns are conservative backwaters. To redress this balance, the research brings together amateur, professional and community theatres from different types of towns (e.g. seaside, market, post-industrial and new towns). It will examine the programmes of two major city-based producing house theatres that take place in towns and with diverse communities, the NT's Public Acts and Manchester Royal Exchange's Local Exchange programme. The research seeks to understand how barriers to participating in theatre might be removed, how diverse voices might be better represented, and how a practical approach to civic engagement in theatre might transcend entrenched social, cultural and economic divisions as well as open fresh ways of thinking about institutional cultures across the theatre sector.
The theatre has long been a place for citizens to debate, to meet and learn, and, historically, the ideal of a civic theatre has resurfaced in times of instability and social reform. Civic theatres represented civic pride in Victorian England and newly-built theatres were symbols of hope in the era of post-war reconstruction. Yet traditional ideas of the civic dropped out of favour with arts organisations and cultural policy-makers in the second half of the twentieth century, not least because they carried associations with the arts as 'civilising' that were inherently hierarchical. The ideal of community replaced the notion of civil society, leading publicly funded theatres to establish community programmes that encourage participation. This research will draw on the past to inform the present, and with our Project Partners and Collaborating Organisation, analyse how barriers to creating an inclusive theatre today might be overcome.
This research aims to prompt a national conversation about the civic role of theatre in the twenty-first century. Despite considerable research on theatre in cities, there has been no systematic research on theatres in towns. Towns receive considerably less public subsidy for the arts than cities, and townspeople have fewer opportunities to contribute to the creative economy, despite often supporting a thriving amateur theatre scene. This risks leaving people living in towns feeling disenfranchised and excluded, perpetuating the perception that cities are edgy and forward-looking whereas towns are conservative backwaters. To redress this balance, the research brings together amateur, professional and community theatres from different types of towns (e.g. seaside, market, post-industrial and new towns). It will examine the programmes of two major city-based producing house theatres that take place in towns and with diverse communities, the NT's Public Acts and Manchester Royal Exchange's Local Exchange programme. The research seeks to understand how barriers to participating in theatre might be removed, how diverse voices might be better represented, and how a practical approach to civic engagement in theatre might transcend entrenched social, cultural and economic divisions as well as open fresh ways of thinking about institutional cultures across the theatre sector.
Planned Impact
This research aims to inspire a national debate about the civic role of theatre in the twenty-first century. Research on the civic role of theatre has potential to impact on a broad range of beneficiaries and project partners at local, regional and national level. It will provide important evidence about the civic role of theatre, raising the profile of theatres in towns and offering new insights into its cultural and civic value. The Project Partners, The Royal National Theatre, Manchester Royal Exchange and The Little Theatre Guild represent theatre practices in different sectors (professional, amateur, community/ participatory). Tribe Arts, as a Collaborating Organisation, bring their experiences of negotiating questions of race as theatre-makers and their expertise as cultural commentators. By working with the academic team, the project partners and collaborators will enable the research to impact on different parts of the cultural economy, including their own work. The research will impact on three core beneficiaries:
1) Professional building-based theatres
This research will impact on professional theatre in three primary ways. First, it will bring new insights into the role of participatory programmes on civil society in towns. Second, it will benefit new partnerships between city-based professional theatres and local theatres in towns and disadvantaged communities, offering evidence about their contribution to the cultural infrastructure and their impact on its inhabitants. Third, by generating new knowledge about the conditions in which an inclusive and diverse labour force might be realised in the cultural sector, it has potential to create theatres that more fully represent twenty-first century society and the people and places they serve. The research aims to equip theatres to strengthen and question their civic role by understanding of how efforts towards civic equality might drive progressive change within theatre institutions, including towards a more representative and inclusive workforce.
2) Theatres in Towns
The project aims to benefit theatres and theatre-makers in towns. By turning the spotlight on towns, both as recipients of participatory programmes offered by major professional theatres and as creative places in themselves, this research will illuminate current provision and activity across different sectors. Detailed case studies of theatres in different types of town, including post-industrial towns, market towns, seaside and/ or new towns, will offer valuable insights into the cultural infrastructure and opportunities for participation that are already offered. The research will reveal local attitudes to theatre in towns, and generate debate about how the theatre - whether amateur, professional or community - contributes to civic life. The events and a Town Hall discussion will inform wider conversations about what, or who, is included in the repertoire, audiences and arts provision, and how an equitable and inclusive civic theatre might be conceptualised and collectively shaped.
3) Local, Regional and National Cultural policy makers and Funders
This research will offer a timely intervention into debates about civic theatres and civic culture in towns among local, national and international policy makers. By investigating relationships between major city-based theatres and theatres in towns, it will open discussions about the strategic implications of the research with a wide range of funders and policy makers, including the Arts Council England, the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport, local government bodies, charitable organisations and philanthropic funders. By bringing together different theatre sectors, the project will both build new networks and a body of evidence to inform future practice and funding streams. Our reports, developed in consultation with research partners, will deliberately speak to this audience and will be available for wide dissemination.
1) Professional building-based theatres
This research will impact on professional theatre in three primary ways. First, it will bring new insights into the role of participatory programmes on civil society in towns. Second, it will benefit new partnerships between city-based professional theatres and local theatres in towns and disadvantaged communities, offering evidence about their contribution to the cultural infrastructure and their impact on its inhabitants. Third, by generating new knowledge about the conditions in which an inclusive and diverse labour force might be realised in the cultural sector, it has potential to create theatres that more fully represent twenty-first century society and the people and places they serve. The research aims to equip theatres to strengthen and question their civic role by understanding of how efforts towards civic equality might drive progressive change within theatre institutions, including towards a more representative and inclusive workforce.
2) Theatres in Towns
The project aims to benefit theatres and theatre-makers in towns. By turning the spotlight on towns, both as recipients of participatory programmes offered by major professional theatres and as creative places in themselves, this research will illuminate current provision and activity across different sectors. Detailed case studies of theatres in different types of town, including post-industrial towns, market towns, seaside and/ or new towns, will offer valuable insights into the cultural infrastructure and opportunities for participation that are already offered. The research will reveal local attitudes to theatre in towns, and generate debate about how the theatre - whether amateur, professional or community - contributes to civic life. The events and a Town Hall discussion will inform wider conversations about what, or who, is included in the repertoire, audiences and arts provision, and how an equitable and inclusive civic theatre might be conceptualised and collectively shaped.
3) Local, Regional and National Cultural policy makers and Funders
This research will offer a timely intervention into debates about civic theatres and civic culture in towns among local, national and international policy makers. By investigating relationships between major city-based theatres and theatres in towns, it will open discussions about the strategic implications of the research with a wide range of funders and policy makers, including the Arts Council England, the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport, local government bodies, charitable organisations and philanthropic funders. By bringing together different theatre sectors, the project will both build new networks and a body of evidence to inform future practice and funding streams. Our reports, developed in consultation with research partners, will deliberately speak to this audience and will be available for wide dissemination.
Publications
Edwards G
(2023)
Asymmetries at play: race, racism, and anti-racism in the archives of radical theatre-in-education
in Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance
Nicholson H
(2022)
Theatre in Towns
| Title | Theatre in Towns; Why they matter |
| Description | This short 90 second amination communicates the key findings to a policy audience. The animation, created by Toastie Animation, was undertaken collaborative with the research team and led by Jenny Hughes. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | Currently in early-stage use for policy-makers and by partner theatres. |
| URL | https://creativetownsresearch.wordpress.com/ |
| Description | The research generated significant new knowledge about the significance of theatres to the cultural lives of towns across England. The research was initially framed around the idea of theatre as part of the civic life in towns, and analysed the implications of the renewed emphasis on civic engagement for producers, theatre-makers and communities whose work takes place beyond city boundaries. The research has found that the civic places a new emphasis on cultural exclusion by focusing on the impact of socioeconomic and racial inequalities, and asks how far, and in what ways, theatre extends civic values and creates more inclusive workforce. Findings painting a mixed picture with some professional theatres valuing a more inclusive idea of civic life, particularly city-based theatres working in towns or local neighbourhoods, or theatres in post-industrial northern towns where civic pride in the cultural infrastructure of towns is part of a relatively recent history of cultural philanthropy. Elsewhere, particularly in places in the South or Southeast that have a less developed sense of regional identity, the idea of theatres as part of civic life is more likely to seen as restrictive. Building on questions arising from the civic role of theatre, findings are related to four key themes that have emerged from case studies: localism; regeneration; volunteering; and cultural exchange. 1. Localism: Theatres in towns are complexly entangled in the new political emphasis on localism. One the one hand, localism promises increased decision-making in towns and is aligned with sustainability and environmental ideals. On the other, localism can make towns appear insular, complacent, inhospitable, and resistant to change. The ways in which theatre is made, the stories theatre-makers tell, and how the repertoire is produced shapes local identities contributes to defining how the cultural life is experienced in towns. 2. Regeneration: Theatres in towns are part of public debates on the future of town centres, left-behind towns, and the 'levelling up' agenda. Examining the relationship between theatres in towns and material inequalities, the research shows that theatres are sites that are central to the way the value of a town is symbolised and speculated on. Theatres in towns can play an important role in mobilising alternative symbolisations, as well as in critiquing and regulating the conditions in which assessments of value are made. 3. Volunteering: Theatre in towns is often kept alive by people who voluntarily give up their time to make theatre. Threads of volunteerism that are found in theatres are often woven into the wider culture of towns. This means that theatre is an important part of an ecology that values cultures of care that are integral to the gift economy and associated with volunteerism. 4. Cultural exchange: City-based theatres are engaging with smaller theatres in towns, with implications for how this exchange is shaping towns' social life and cultural infrastructure. Taking 'exchange' as a keyword, this strand of the research has found that post-industrial northern towns have historic connectivity to the city via cotton and coal industries, but processes of deindustrialisation have radically altered the towns' economy. The research challenges cultural deficit narratives and shows how equitable exchange that build on existing creative communities mobilise genealogies of connection between the town and city. Across these four key themes, the research shows the distinctive qualities of theatres in towns that are broadly shared across the nation. The cultural and social ecosystems of towns are unlike cities, and multiple and sometimes close-knit and overlapping local networks provide opprotunities for amateur, community, and professional theatre-makers to collaborate in ways that can be mutually supportive. Local theatres are able to be responsive to townspeople, both as theatre-makers and audiences, ensuring wide visibility of theatres in towns and, at best, local involvement. Theatres buildings in towns have often been repurposed from other uses (town halls, stables, banks, civic buildings) and this often means that they have a prominent place in town centres. Theatres in towns have contributed to reviving night-time economies, creating feelings belonging, and where they are open for multiple purposes during the day, they can contribute to regenerating high streets. Theatres in towns matter because they can contribute to the town's sense of identity, bringing t people together to remake places in a responsive, local and connected way. Theatres in towns can reflect local tastes and interests, and provide creative spaces for experimentation. There are further questions to address, paricularly about how local people can find sustained and satisfying creative careers in their towns, and the role of professional theatre in providing opportunities for training and apprenticeships outside major cities. Some theatres in towns can appear a little inward-looking, particularly to new residents, andsome theatres are unsure how to extend the demographic of their audiences and theatre-makers. Theatres in towns - in common with city-based theatres - are also deeply connected to paternalistic histories of civic culture, nostalgic notions of civic pride, and colonial pasts which remain largely unacknowledged and continue to resonnate. The research found that the theatres in towns that are forward-looking and inclusive provide beacons of hope, both in places that are experiencing the effects of socioeconomic deprivation and in more affluent areas. |
| Exploitation Route | The research opens new research agendas for academics, particularly informing the role of the arts in place-based debates about towns. It serves to decentre theatre studies as a discipline, which almost by default investigates theatres and theatre-making in cities. Our research shows that analysing theatres in towns through the lens of cities is misinformed, and that research on theatre in cities offers a partial reading of theatre cultures. The research can also inform geographers and sociologists interested in the role of the arts and culture in towns, and how it creates local resiliance and increased local agency. As cultural policy is increasingly focused on participation in the arts beyong major cities, this research provides important evidence for the social and cultural value of theatres in towns. It makes a case for a renewed awareness for the value of collaboration across sectors, and the local benefits this brings. There is significant scope for increased recognition from professional theatre-makers and cultural policy-makers about the role of community and voluntary cultural activities as a positive - and distinctive - aspect of town life. These findings can be used to inform decision-making on a local and national level, and to re-animate approaches to community engagement in the arts in towns. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| URL | https://creativetownsresearch.wordpress.com/ |
| Description | During the life-time of the research, towns became increasingly important part of political agendas. Cultural policy has followed this impetus, with city-based theatres coming under increasing pressure to work outside metropolitan centres. Our research speaks directly to this agenda, and it is generating impact by bringing together leaders in amateur, community, and professional theatres. This is leading to exchange of good practice between the sectors and articulating shared concerns. With increased respect for the role of community and volunteer-led theatres, our research provides evidence that challenges widely-held assumptions that towns lack cultural activity. The research has been used by theatre-makers in towns as evidence for their cultural value. It has informed decision-making on a local level, including planning applications and related local issues. Research has informed discussions about cultural policy and investment, particularly in towns considered priority areas for investment due to the perception of low-levels of engagement in the arts and culture. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural |
| Description | Creative People and Places, Home Slough |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| URL | https://www.homeslough.org.uk/ |
| Description | Arts Council England |
| Amount | £55,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Royal National Theatre |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2018 |
| End | 10/2023 |
| Description | Partnership research |
| Amount | £7,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Royal Holloway, University of London |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2023 |
| End | 07/2023 |
| Description | Little Theatre Guild |
| Organisation | Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | This partnership has evolved, building over time from a collaboration on research on amateur theatre, where the Little Theatre Guild (LTG) supported the research team by inviting them to contribute to conferences, policy and brokering discussions with professional policy-makers. In Civic Theatres: A Place for Towns, the LTG became a formal partner for the research in recognition of their interest in, and use of, the research. Our expertise has been sought on a range of issues, particularly relating to inclusion and diversity, and to the ways in which LTG theatres might align with current cultural policy. Throughout the research on Civic Theatres: A Place for Towns, there were opportunities to share research findings at LTG conferences, particularly on the role of theatres to create and sustain resilient communities and wellbeing during the pandemic and beyond. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The LTG have offered access to theatres, introductions, contributing to symposia and steering groups. This has brought their work into the sights of professional theatre-makers and policy-makers, leading to a policy briefing on how amateur theatre contributes to Arts Council England's strategy, Let's Create. The LTG has invited Professor Jenny Hughes to contribute to their Newsletter about her research in the Northern region, and their on-going collaboration with Professor Helen Nicholson and Dr Cara Gray has led to new partnerships with theatres in towns, particularly The Corn Exchange, Wallingford and The Stables, Hastings. The wide geographical region, and the activity they offer, has ensured that the research is informed by the work of volunteers in towns. |
| Impact | There have been several reports generated by the project, including: Reflections on amateur Theatre research; For Love or Money? Collaboration Between Amateur and Professional Theatre in the Royal Shakespeare Company's Open Stages Programme. The collaboration also contributed to a publication, The Ecologies of Amateur Theatre, published by Palgrave, and co-authored Helen Nicholson, Nadine Holdsworth and Jane Milling. The findings of the project showed that amateur theatre contributes to well-being and feelings of belonging, and place-making in towns and villages, as well as cities. This is captured on a policy-briefing for Arts Council England. LTG theatres are well-represented in the book, Theatres in Towns. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Royal National Theatre |
| Organisation | Royal National Theatre |
| Department | National Theatre Archive |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The National Theatre's new flag ship community programme, Public Acts, began in 2017, and I undertook research on it. This involved training staff in participatory research methods, holding focus groups, attending rehearsals and analyse data. The research team also observed rehearsals in their partner organisations, working alongside charities who work with people at vulnerable times of life (old age, homeless, experiencing trauma). The research team contributed a trauma-informed research methodology, and combined it with a deep knowledge of theatre in community settings. In the project, Civic Theatres: A Place for Towns the contributions wsa two-fold. First, the research team examined how partnerships and exchange between a leading national theatre and local, smaller theatres in towns might create a sustainable future for the arts. Second, the research addressed how community programme might contribute to a more equitable and inclusive workforce in theatres. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Producers and artists at the National Theatre offered access to a range of their programmes, particularly those focused on participatory theatre and theatre education. Before lockdown, they were able to provide researchers with unprecedented access to planning meetings, workshops and rehearsals in multiple settings. This built bridges of trust with community partners, and enabled research that was deep and collaborative. They offered a film-crew and many other in-kind opportunities to share research findings in accessible ways. The National Theatre is also contributing to research on how the theatre is changed by working with communities. |
| Impact | Nicholson, Helen. 2020. Public Acts: A Story of Hope. https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/sites/default/files/nt_public_acts_report_final_long.pdf |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Civic Theatres: A Place for Towns |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A talk to a group of academics, postgraduates and practitioners at the University of Cambridge, as part of their Drama and Performance seminar series. The presentation focused on performance cultures in the town of Leigh, including the work of collaborating partners, the Royal Exchange Theatre. The seminar series is usually comprised of playwrights, practitioners, and academics that work in city environments. This talk offered a different approach - by exploring theatre production as it takes in the cultural economies of towns. A number of interesting questions around repertoire were raised, for example, what do town plays look like? - as well as socio-economic concerns relating to the metropolitan structures of theatre production. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Consortium Chair Arts Council Creative People and Places Programme: Home Slough |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Helen Nicholson was invited to become interim chair of Home Slough, the ACE Creative People and Places programme in Slough. Her involvement directly led to an award of £750,000 to Slough Council for Voluntary Services as lead organisation for a programme of arts and cultural activities from 2022-2024. This benefits a wide range of community organisations and businesses across Slough, with a programme of arts activities planned by a community programming board. Research from this project has informed decision-making processes about how the programme reaches communities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
| URL | https://www.homeslough.org.uk/ |
| Description | Contributions to National newsletter for the Little Theatre Guild. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | The Little Theatre Guild Newsletter is primarily an information-giving publication. Multiple contributions from Professor Helen Nicholson have included updates on the research, and more recently by Professor Jenny Hughes with a specific focus on northern towns. This has prompted discussion at conferences, and use of research by this membership organisation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022,2023 |
| URL | https://littletheatreguild.org/tag/ltg-newsletter/ |
| Description | Levelling Up: Histories, Cultures, Challenges |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | An online event featuring an expert interdisciplinary panel on Levelling Up, featuring PI Helen Nicholson and CoI Jenny Hughes, alongside a range of other speakers. Each speaker addressed the issue of 'Levelling Up' from their own perspective, drawing on a range of research activity, and the event was recorded and made freely available online. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.andtowns.co.uk/videos |
| Description | Online event for amateur, professional and community theatre-makers |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The Future of Theatres in Towns was an online event that opened a national conversation about how theatres might be situated in post-pandemic towns. The event brought together playwrights, producers, artists and artistic directors of theatres to debate core issues relating to theatres as sustainable cultural and civic centres for towns. With speakers Professor Nicky Marsh, Indy Johar and Claire Appleby (Theatres Trust) and over 60 participants, the event generated new questions in the following areas: Theatres as Places and Spaces Theatre buildings in towns often inspire affection. In this conversation we will share stories about theatres as places in towns and as spaces for theatre-makers. What do they look like? What are their histories? How are they run, funded and who looks after them? How might theatre spaces be used in different ways in the future, and become more environmentally sustainable? Relationships and Partnerships How do theatres work with the civic and cultural networks in their local neighbourhoods, communities and region? What makes a good partnership? What do partnerships enable theatres to do? We will explore the resurgence of interest in co-creation and co-production, and share and reflect on working examples of partnership, co-creation and collaboration in action. Programming, Producing and Repertoire This conversation will focus on the stories told in theatres in towns, and how stories reflect local life. How are playwrights inspired by towns, and how are towns represented in theatre and performance? Who decides which stories are told, and how are new artists and audiences encouraged for the future? Theatre for Young People Young people in towns are often required to move out of the places that they call home to access the arts, emptying out towns as local artists make their work elsewhere. This conversation will ask how young people are invited to shape the future of theatre and their towns. What relationships between theatre makers, partners, and young people made, and maintained in towns? One of the main impacts from this event was increased collaboration between theatres in towns from different parts of the country - almost all never having met before. Shared concerns about revitalising the life of towns via creative and cultural activity were debated, leading to a renewed energy to collaborate and lobby for change for towns. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://creativetownsresearch.wordpress.com/events-2/ |
| Description | Online event for theatre-makers, cultural leaders and academics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Tribe Talks: Decolonising the Civic: Redefine, reclaim, relegate? was an event led by Tribe Arts, a radical-political theatre and media production company that aims to amplify the stories and voices of the current black and Asian generation. Attended by over 100 people and now available online, the event prompted critical debate about how far, and in what ways, the ideal of civic engagement in the arts is infused with colonial and racist histories. With a range of speakers from different sectors, the event led to challenging questions about the recent interest in the civic role of theatres, and how far it upholds dominant narratives abut race that are exclusionary. Delegates reported increased insights into the histories of civic life through the lens of race, and in re-examining the civic ideal from this perspective. It introduced new connections between Tribe Arts and other theatre-makers, increasing their visibility in academic contexts. Tribe Arts hold the IP for this event and one of the main impacts was that it revived their Tribe Talks series- the previous Tribe Talk having taken place in 2016 - making their unique approach to stimulating debate more widely known. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOhLl_qgWls |
| Description | Research blog |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The research team have created and maintained a research blog to disseminate aspects of the research-in-progress. This currently features discussions of 'civic culture' and the Local Exchange project in Leigh. Blog posts will be added throughout the funded research period, including in response to key milestones and events. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://creativetownsresearch.wordpress.com/ |
| Description | Roundtable event on Sustainability and local theatres |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Debates about the future of theatres in towns led to an invitation to facilitate discussions about local, sustainable theatres in Oxfordshire. Over 50 people attended focus groups, where research findings were shared and plans about a more inclusive local arts and cultural agenda was debated. The participants reported new investment in their arts organisation, based on clear evidence provided by the research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Talk University of Leeds |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This talk, part of the University of Leeds Postgraduate PARTICIPATION RESEARCH GROUP, debated the civic role of the arts and arts organisations. Delegates commented on the ways in which it challenged orthodoxies about the arts in cities, inviting them to look at theatres and their civic role from a different perspective. The event generated new questions about the positionality of researchers in theatre, and how far a city-centric lens is applied to all (or most) analyses of theatre. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Talk for Little Theatre Guild Annual conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | The Little Theatre Guild is the leading association for amateur theatres, with membership across the UK. Their annual conference, attended by over 200 people, is an opportunity to share experiences. This talk addressed findings from the research, and particularly how theatre-making in towns encourages mutual aid, local resiliance and promotes wellbeing. Delegates commented on how the findings resonnated with their experiences, and provided clear focus for advocating for their sector and work in local contexts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Towns, Theatres and Civic Spaces |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A presentation to attendees at the Theatre and Performance Research Association annual conference in September 2021. The conference is attended by academic researchers from across the UK Higher Education sector, as well as internationally, and took place online. It provided an overview of the concepts and practices associated with 'civic culture', alongside an account of key research themes and discussions arising from the early phase of the research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Visits to Hastings Theatre to present findings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Theatres in coastal towns provide local people with sustained access to creative activities, particularly when they are volunteer-run and have close relations with local people. A series of talks and focus groups clarified the ways in which local profesional artists are using these spaces for research and development, and how a new model of theatre that works across sectors is emerging. Local theatre-makers commented that they gained a renewed understanding of their role in the cultural life of the town. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |