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Amateur Theatre and the Gold Coast

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Amateur Theatre and the Gold Coast RUNNING HEAD: THEATRE ECOLOGY OF THE GOLD COAST OF AUSTRALIA A Place in the Sun: An Exploration of the Theatre Ecology of the Gold Coast of Australia Patrick F. Mitchell M.A., Grad. Dip. T Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Education and Professional Studies Arts, Education and Law Griffith University February 2013 THEATRE ECOLOGY OF THE GOLD COAST OF AUSTRALIA 2 Abstract Background A Place in the Sun explores theatre and its practice in a distinctive Australian regional community, the Gold Coast in the South East corner of Queensland. Theatre in Australian communities, from small regional towns to capital cities has, historically, been the site of a great deal of activity and achievement and this study sought to engage with its contemporary form. This study asked whether there was a local theatre practice, what it comprised, who was involved and why they were so engaged. To facilitate this inquiry, I proposed that the theatre and performance activities of a community be seen as an ecology. The ecological paradigm links the individual elements of theatre-making; the various people, companies and types of performance. Reinforcing this is a paradigm of integration that highlights a relationship that is symbiotic between these elements and the social, cultural and economic environment that they operate in. Using an ecological paradigm allows us to consider the elements of theatre as being involved in constant exchanges that makes all parts of this ecology reliant to some degree on all the other parts. Study Propositions This study was underpinned by two initial guiding propositions. The first was that there was a discernible relationship between a community and the theatre that is made in it. The existence of a relationship means that understanding the community assists in understanding the theatre that emanates from it, and vice versa. The second was that considering theatre and performance in ecological terms provides a significant and constructive opportunity to reframe our understanding of the nature of this relationship between theatre, its practice and the community from which these emerge. THEATRE ECOLOGY OF THE GOLD COAST OF AUSTRALIA 3 Significance of the Study By taking this approach the study was able to conceive of a local theatre not as disparate and unconnected, but as an interdependent activity. This encouraged fresh insights into the practice of theatre-making for those who are involved, those who support them and had significances that could act as interventions or leverage points in the revitalizing of community attitudes and government cultural policy and funding programs. The study provided alternative and more effective ways of appreciating and understanding the actual nature and achievement of theatre in community settings, particularly those in regional areas. Methodology The research design was based, firstly on the establishment of an empirical ethnography of theatre and performance in the Gold Coast region. Using an ethnographic process based on the application of a regional theatre mapping exercise and two consequent case studies into key aspects of local Gold Coast theatre. Core data about the praxis of theatre and performance on the Gold Coast was gathered. This material was then examined and interpreted using ecological thinking as an analytical framework. Results This study found that on the Gold Coast there is an active theatre community that is robust, complex, diverse and growing. Despite the region’s reputation as something of a cultural desert, the Gold Coast supports a well-established local theatre ecology, or system. This ecology comprises of a range of performers, companies, venues and audiences. It includes performances drawn from schools, amateur theatres, independent companies, a publicly owned facility and commercial producers. This community does not sustain a fully professional theatre company in the same way that other communities of comparable size do. This study shows that the theatre that is created and has a sustainable audience and resource base is complex and does lead to professional work for some of its participants, just not on the Gold Coast. THEATRE ECOLOGY OF THE GOLD COAST OF AUSTRALIA 4 The large quantity of performance training organisations and the quality of the large amateur theatre base make the Gold Coast a feeder nursery for many other theatre communities throughout Australia. This study makes no claims as to whether the Gold Coast should or could sustain a fully professional theatre company in the future. It is a reflection of what actually existed within the Gold Coast theatre environment during the period 2009 to 2011. The study illuminated the capacity of local theatre to facilitate the personal, the creative and the professional aspects of people’s lives, both individually and collectively, in organisations that are part of the broader community. It showed that this community has the capacity and expertise to generate significant theatrical activity that also contributes to the quality of lives of individuals resident in those communities. This conclusion led to the development of a concept of a community’s ‘theatrical life’ where its members engage in the spectrum of activities that are involved in the making and the presentation of live theatre. THEATRE ECOLOGY OF THE GOLD COAST OF AUSTRALIA 5 Statement of Originality This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself. Signed:__________________________ Date:________________________ Patrick F. Mitchell THEATRE ECOLOGY OF THE GOLD COAST OF AUSTRALIA 6 Table of Contents Abstract............................................................................................................................. 2 Statement of Originality ................................................................................................... 5 Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. 6 List of Illustrations and Diagrams .................................................................................. 12 Glossary of Terms .......................................................................................................... 13 List of Appendices.......................................................................................................... 17 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ 18 Chapter 1 Introduction.................................................................................................... 20 0.0 Preamble ............................................................................................................... 20 1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 22 1.0.1 The Guiding Propositions of the Study ......................................................... 23 1.1 Background........................................................................................................... 24 1.1.1 Site of the Research – Theatre....................................................................... 24 1.1.2 Site of the Research – the Gold Coast ........................................................... 26 1.2 The Current Study – Foundation of the Thesis .................................................... 28 1.3 Need for the Current Study................................................................................... 30 1.4 Research Significance .......................................................................................... 31 1.5 Structure of this Thesis......................................................................................... 32 1.6 The Use of Ecological Metaphor in this Study .................................................... 33 1.7 Chapter Summary................................................................................................. 34 Chapter 2 Theatre Ecology and the Gold Coast ............................................................. 35 2.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 35 2.1 Foundational Literature ........................................................................................ 37 2.2 Theatre and The City ............................................................................................ 43 2.2.1 Cultural Materialism...................................................................................... 47 2.2.2 Place of Performance..................................................................................... 47 2.2.3 Economies of Theatre.................................................................................... 51 2.3 Method of Engagement ........................................................................................ 53 2.3.1 Theatre People: The Workers........................................................................ 54 2.3.2 Theatre People: The Audience ...................................................................... 55 THEATRE ECOLOGY OF THE GOLD COAST OF AUSTRALIA 7 2.3.3 Performativity................................................................................................ 57
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