Bringing down the house: the crisis in Britain’s regional theatres [Olivia Turnbull]

Dubois, Diane (2009) Bringing down the house: the crisis in Britain’s regional theatres [Olivia Turnbull]. Times Higher Education . ISSN 0049-3929

Full content URL: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?st...

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Abstract

This is a book about the history of the Arts Council, and an assessment of regional theatre in Britain. Its subject is that much-visited battleground where funding bodies and artists meet to nervously eye each other up and tenatively shake hands, or go to full-on war. One might expect such a book to be a passionately partisan account of hidden agendas buried deep within a deliberately perplexing bureaucracy, or (depending on your political persuasion), a crusade against the promotion of a politically correct inclusivity that sacrifices artistic quality at great expense to the taxpayer. However, Turnbull’s book demonstrates admirable scholarly detachent and rigour on every page, where the temptation to grind a polemical axe might have been impossible for many writers to resist.

Additional Information:This is a book about the history of the Arts Council, and an assessment of regional theatre in Britain. Its subject is that much-visited battleground where funding bodies and artists meet to nervously eye each other up and tenatively shake hands, or go to full-on war. One might expect such a book to be a passionately partisan account of hidden agendas buried deep within a deliberately perplexing bureaucracy, or (depending on your political persuasion), a crusade against the promotion of a politically correct inclusivity that sacrifices artistic quality at great expense to the taxpayer. However, Turnbull’s book demonstrates admirable scholarly detachent and rigour on every page, where the temptation to grind a polemical axe might have been impossible for many writers to resist.
Keywords:Olivia Turnbull, regional theatres, arts management, bmjpub
Subjects:W Creative Arts and Design > W400 Drama
Divisions:College of Arts > School of Fine & Performing Arts > School of Fine & Performing Arts (Performing Arts)
ID Code:2885
Deposited On:13 Jul 2010 19:24

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