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Rebecca Robinson Phd 290909 Robinson, Rebecca Charlotte (2009) From theory to practice : The National Theatre of Scotland, 1999-2009. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/2915/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] From Theory to Practice: the National Theatre of Scotland, 1999 – 2009. Rebecca Charlotte Robinson M.A., L.L.M. Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Glasgow Faculty of Arts and Humanities Department of Theatre, Film and Television May 2009 © Rebecca Robinson 2 Abstract The National Theatre of Scotland is a unique, non building-based, commissioning and producing cultural institution, established in the wake of the devolution of the Scottish Parliament. This thesis explores how the NTS responded to its ‘national’ remit within the context of both post devolution Scotland and an increasingly globalized world in which the significance and boundaries of the ‘nation’ are often ambiguous and contested. The public sphere in the United Kingdom has always held a tension between the interweaving national identities of its four constituent nations. However, the constitutional changes since 1999, have allowed the possibility for a more distinctive public sphere to be defined in Scotland. This thesis examines how the NTS, over a relatively short period of time, has played a role in helping to mark out and define the nature of this new national public sphere and argues that the company was particularly well placed to accommodate and reflect heterogeneous imagining’s of identity and respond to contemporary expressions of belonging. However, the thesis also charts changes to the company during these early years and, most significantly, notes the potential effect that the change from arms length to direct government funding might have on the company’s long-term development. The thesis argues that direct funding aligns the arts too closely to political agendas rather than supporting artistic freedom and expression. As such, rather than helping to mark out a democratically representative and critical public sphere in Scotland, the NTS is in danger of becoming entangled by competing conceptions and perceptions of nationhood in Scotland. 3 Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................2 Acknowledgements............................................................................................................8 Abbreviations.....................................................................................................................9 Introduction......................................................................................................................10 Chapter One: In Theory ...................................................................................................16 Introduction..................................................................................................................16 Nation Building and National Theatres.........................................................................17 The Public Sphere .......................................................................................................21 The Avant-Garde .........................................................................................................24 20 th Century National Theatre Projects ........................................................................25 The Limits of the Nation? .............................................................................................28 Devolution....................................................................................................................32 A new politics?.............................................................................................................36 A New Scotland? .........................................................................................................38 Conclusion...................................................................................................................41 Chapter Two: Theatre in Scotland ...................................................................................43 Introduction..................................................................................................................43 Scotland, State and Theatre ........................................................................................44 Scotland Imagined .......................................................................................................46 The Arts Council and Arts Subsidy...............................................................................51 Subsidising the Arts in Scotland...................................................................................55 Scottish Devolution and Cultural Policy........................................................................61 The Establishment of the National Theatre of Scotland................................................65 Conclusion...................................................................................................................68 Chapter Three: Methodology ...........................................................................................70 Introduction..................................................................................................................70 Context ........................................................................................................................71 Reviewing the Literature ..............................................................................................74 Ethics and Confidentiality.............................................................................................77 Interviews ....................................................................................................................78 Case Studies and Canons ...........................................................................................80 Audiences....................................................................................................................81 Conclusion...................................................................................................................82 4 Chapter Four: From Theory to Practice; Behind the Scenes ............................................83 Introduction..................................................................................................................83 Cultural, political and economic context .......................................................................84 Models of Arts Funding ................................................................................................86 The NTS Chair and Board............................................................................................88 Artistic Director and Senior Management.....................................................................90 Business Plan – vision, aims and objectives ................................................................93 Arms Length to Direct Government Funding ................................................................98 Conclusion.................................................................................................................105 Chapter Five: The National on Stage.............................................................................106 Introduction................................................................................................................106 First Year’s Programme .............................................................................................107 Postdramatic Theatre.................................................................................................109 Home .........................................................................................................................110 Black Watch...............................................................................................................115 Press Responses...................................................................................................116 Background............................................................................................................117 In Production..........................................................................................................118 Criticism .................................................................................................................121 Imagining the Nation ..............................................................................................123 Conclusion.................................................................................................................128 Chapter Six: Learn.........................................................................................................130 Introduction................................................................................................................130
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