Nottingham Playhouse: an analysis of its community engagement

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Ewart, L, 2023. Nottingham Playhouse: an analysis of its community engagement. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

This thesis provides a detailed analysis of the community engagement activities of Nottingham Playhouse (NP), which has previously been unrecorded and unexplored for its implications for the theatre’s current and future community work. A mixed methodological approach interweaves semi-structured oral history interviews, participant observations, and archival research with secondary reading. The thesis is organised according to two chapters. Racial and Ethnic Diversity at Nottingham Playhouse identifies historical moments of progress in addressing and developing inclusivity and makes them visible by analysing them as case studies that exemplify the extent to which NP engaged with global majority communities between 1978 and 2022. It documents and analyses the Eclipse initiative (2001), Regional Black Theatre Initiative (1993) and the Black Regional Initiative in Theatre (1999) as key projects NP staff should consider and learn from. In 2020, following the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in the midst of the COVID-19 (C-19) pandemic, like many other arts and cultural institutions, NP launched an Anti-Racism Action Plan which is considered here for its efficacy. Harnessing Change: Investigating Dynamic Shifts in Nottingham Playhouse's Community Work, 2019-2023 underlines my assertion that theatres are, and should be, considered as socio-cultural venues and analyses NP’s activities beyond its professional theatre-making and performance culture. It begins with a case study of the Coram Boy community project (2019), analysing and evidencing its relevance and impact on participants. NPs approach to the C-19 pandemic is assessed in detail through seven examples and the concepts of Hyperlocality and Mutual Aid are re-examined in the C-19 context. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the current challenges to community engagement: the UK government’s “hostile environment” in the context of NP as a Theatre of Sanctuary and the cost of living crisis (2022-2023). To operationalise the thesis a set of recommendations mapped to the chapters are offered which suggest work that NP could undertake to strengthen community engagement.

Item Type:	Thesis
Creators:	Ewart, L.
Contributors:	Name Role NTU ID ORCID Monteith, S. Thesis supervisor AAH3MONTES https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9535-9099 Matthews, B. Thesis supervisor AHD3MATTHB UNSPECIFIED
Date:	November 2023
Rights:	The copyright in this work is held by the author. You may copy up to 5% of this work for private study, or personal, non-commercial research. Any re-use of the information contained within this document should be fully referenced, quoting the author, title, university, degree level and pagination. Queries or requests for any other use, or if a more substantial copy is required, should be directed to the author.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Arts and Humanities
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	15 Nov 2024 15:09
Last Modified:	15 Nov 2024 15:09
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/52580