Applied Theatre: Economies

by Molly Mullen (Editor), Michael Balfour (Editor), Sheila Preston (Editor)

Overview

The APPLIED THEATRE series is a major innovation in applied theatre scholarship: each book presents new ways of seeing and critically reflecting on this dynamic and vibrant field. Volumes offer a theoretical framework and introductory survey of the field addressed, combined with a range of case studies illustrating and critically engaging with practice.

Series Editors: Sheila Preston and Michael Balfour

Applied Theatre: Economies addresses a notoriously problematic area: applied theatre's relationship
to the economy and the ways in which socially committed theatre makers fund, finance or otherwise
resource their work.

Part One addresses longstanding concerns in the field about the effects of economic conditions and funding relationships on applied theatre practice. It considers how applied theatre's relationship with local and global economies can be understood from different theoretical and philosophical perspectives. It also examines a range of ways in which applied theatre can be resourced, identifying key issues and seeking possibilities for theatre makers to sustain their work without undermining their social and artistic values.

The international case studies in Part Two give vivid insights into the day-to-day challenges of resourcing applied theatre work in Chile, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Hong Kong and the US. The authors examine critical issues or points of tension that have arisen in a particular funding relationship or from specific economic activities. Each study also illuminates ways in which applied theatre makers can bring artistic and social justice principles to bear on financial and organizational processes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350001718
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	09/06/2018
Series:	Applied Theatre
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	280
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Molly Mullen is a Senior Lecturer in Applied Theatre at the University of Auckland's Faculty of Education and Social Work. She has produced theatre education, youth theatre and community arts projects in the UK and New Zealand.
Molly Mullen is a lecturer in applied theatre at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She has produced theatre education, youth theatre and community arts projects in the UK and New Zealand.
Michael Balfour is Head of School and Professor of Theatre and Performance at University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Michael's research explores applied theatre and performance work in a range of social contexts. Michael has authored or edited 8 books, and over 50 book chapters and academic journal articles. His most recent publications include Performing Arts in Prisons: Creative Perspectives (2019), and Applied Theatre: Understanding Change (2018) with Kelly Freebody, Michael Anderson and Michael Finneran. He is the series editor of the Methuen Drama applied theatre book series, that brings together leading international scholars to engage with and advance key themes in the field of applied theatre.
Sheila Preston is Head of Performing Arts at the University of East London, UK. Previously she was a senior lecturer in Applied Theatre at the Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. She co-edited with Tim Prentki The Applied Theatre Reader (Routledge, 2009).

Table of Contents

List of Figures
Notes on Contributors
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction

Part 1
1 A narrowing sphere: Economization and applied theatre
2 Tangled webs: Applied theatre and the economy
3 The economies of applied theatre
4 Applied theatre and new cultural economies

Part 2
5 Autogestión, conviction, collectivity and Plans A to Z: Colectivo Sustento in continuous resistance
Penelope Glass, Colectivo Sustento, Chile

6 Foundation funding: The pedagogies of applied theatre projects in two Toronto theatres
Anne Wessels, Director of Education, Tarragon Theatre, Canada, and Lois Adamson, Director of Education, Stratford Festival, Canada

7 Waiting on a miracle: The precarious state of the everyday in applied theatre
Peter O'Connor, University of Auckland, NZ, and Briar O'Connor, Managing Director of ATCo, UK

8 A difficult fit: The economic actions of FM Theatre Power in Hong Kong
Molly Mullen, University of Auckland, NZ, and Bonnie Y. Y. Chan, FM Theatre Power, China

9 The Long Tail/Tale: Seven thought-provoking mind-sets to reframe your applied theatre practices
Paul Sutton, Artistic Director of C&T, UK

10 The ROOTS of US applied theatre economies Paul Bonin-Rodriguez, University of Texas, USA

11 The theatre dividend: Reflecting on the value of a theatre and social housing partnership in Bolton (UK)
Ben Dunn, University of Manchester, UK, and Jenny Hughes, University of Manchester, UK

Afterword
Endnotes
Select Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

"Molly Mullen's Applied Theatre: Economiesis an insightful contribution that further troubles simplistic binaries framing socially engaged theatre and the ways in which it might negotiate the neoliberal economy while maintaining ethical, intellectual and aesthetic integrity. This book provides inspiring examples of how artists and companies can successfully negotiate the dichotomies of self-interest vs altruism..."
Australian Drama Studies

From the Publisher