Applied Theatre: Economies

Applied Theatre: Economies addresses a notoriously problematic area of applied theatre, asking: Is it all about the money? Are the aims and forms of applied theatre inevitably determined by the economic conditions in which it is produced? Will applied theatre makers always, ultimately, align with the agendas of the donors on which they depend? Are there sustainable ways to finance or resource applied theatre that do not undermine its social and artistic values or conflict with the interests of participants?

The first part of the book considers how applied theatre's relationship with its economic context can be understood from different theoretical and philosophical perspectives and the implications of different modes of funding and income generation. In the second part six international case studies are offered that draw on the authors' direct experiences of running applied theatre companies, programmes or projects and of sustained, engaged research in such settings. These give a vivid insight into the complex day-to-day challenges of sustaining applied theatre work in the UK, New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong, Chile and Kenya. Each case study illuminates ways in which applied theatre practitioners bring artistic and social justice principles to bear on financial and organisational processes.