Local Theatres: Participation, Inclusion, Imagination

As the first major study of local theatres, this ambitious interdisciplinary research takes place when localism has re-entered the political lexicon. In England, the location of this research, place-based cultural policies have responded to successive government initiatives to increase local decision-making, address regional inequalities, boost local enterprise, and revitalise town centres. Living locally is also an environmental ideal, and generates powerful feelings of belonging. But local cultures can also be inhospitable, exclusionary, and inward-looking; populist politicians invoke an imaginary of local life to stir social division, and far-right groups turn to racialised ideas of 'locals' to fuel hate crime. Theatres are widely regarded as beacons of hope, equity, and civic pride, but sustained engagement with local people is largely hidden from view, found in youth theatres, participatory programmes, and amateur companies.

Although theatres appeared dark during the Covid-19 pandemic, participatory programmes, youth, and amateur theatres continued to provide emotional support, mutual aid, and creative activities locally and online. Lockdowns both strengthened hyperlocal relationships and highlighted translocal and global connectivity. Post-pandemic, despite an urgent need to heal social fragmentation, theatres found themselves navigating conflicting local agendas and competing for scant resources. In this context, participatory programmes with local people - where theatre is most socially inclusive - have become vulnerable.

The political complexities of localism are situated at the forefront of our research. London's theatres face disinvestment, with consequences for young theatre-makers reluctant to leave their postcodes for fear of gang violence. Outside major cities, theatres struggle to retain local talent as theatre-makers seek creative opportunities elsewhere. Residents who don't self-identify as 'locals' sometimes exclude themselves from participatory programmes; some local people feel unwelcome in gentrified cultural quarters, or associate 'civic' theatres with authority rather than creativity. Many local cultural assets - libraries, radio, newspapers, museums, green spaces, landmark buildings, community centres - are under-used, under-funded, and under-threat. Amateur companies have deep local roots but are often slow to make changes that would diversify their demographic. Yet theatres play an important role as storytellers, inviting audiences to engage with the many landscapes, dialects, memories, histories, and journeys that shape local life.

This research aims to transform understanding of theatre-making as local, hyperlocal, and translocal practices. Our objectives are to:

Increase understanding of theatres as local cultural and community assets by engaging a wide range of stakeholders.
Strengthen inclusive approaches to theatre-making, producing, and programming across amateur, professional, and youth contexts.
Support local talent by identifying creative opportunities and skills development, enabling career progression for theatre-makers in their home towns and cities.
Inspire theatre-makers to re-imagine what 'local' means in the past, present, and future by co-creating theatre that explores historical injustices and hidden exclusions.
Understand the impact of increased localised decision-making on theatres.
Build long-term capacity by supporting new voices in theatre and the academy.
Our approaches to knowledge-generation are designed to benefit theatre-makers as artists and theatres as organisations. Our findings will inform policy agendas by clarifying the cultural politics of localism, and evidence the value of sustainable local theatres.