Theatre and its Audiences

Theatre and its Audiences by Kate Craddock

Written in the aftermath of the Covid crisis, this open access book brings the past, present and future of theatre-going together as it explores the nature of the relationships between performance practitioners, arts organisations and their audiences. Proposing that the pandemic forced a re-evaluation of what it means to be an audience, and combining historical and current cultural sector perspectives, the book reflects on how historical conventions have conditioned present day expectations of theatre-going in the UK. Helen Freshwater examines the ways in which developments in technology, architecture and forms of communication have influenced what is expected by and of audiences, reflecting changes in theatre’s cultural status and place in our lives. Drawing on the first-hand experiences of festival director and performance practitioner Kate Craddock, it also contends that practitioners now need to turn their attention to care, access and sustainability, arguing that the pandemic taught us, above all, that it is possible to do things differently. Part vision, part provocation, part critical interrogation, Theatre and its Audiences offers an insightful appraisal of past norms and assumptions to set out a bold argument about where we should go from here. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Newcastle University.

Offering both a careful analysis of spectatorship throughout history, and an urgent reflection on the relationship between live performance and audiences in the present, Theatre and its Audiences is that rare book – both timeless and exceptionally timelyFor those of us presently involved in the task of making sense of the confusing post-lockdown performance landscape, Craddock and Freshwater offer an essential blueprint for the future of the theatre industry, by leading us carefully through big issues like technology, communication, and accessibility in the age of COVID. But they don’t stop there. Rather than producing a text that is relevant to the present moment alone, they also offer a valuable framework for situating March 2020’s sudden rupture – and the ‘new’ modes of audiencing it produced – within a long historical context. Ultimately, reading Theatre and its Audiences is to understand the necessity of learning from the past, in order to build a better, kinder, more equitable future today. * Kirsty Sedgman, University of Bristol, UK *
Much more than just a textbook for students, Theatre and its Audiences combines academic rigour with real-world experience, providing an insight into how meaningful connections can be achieved with audiences, drawing on practice as well as theory. Essential reading for anyone in theatre looking to shift relationships to achieve deeper engagement. * Annabel Turpin, Co-Director, Future Arts Centres and Chief Executive, Storyhouse, UK *

Kate Craddock is the Founder and Festival Director of GIFT: Gateshead International Festival of Theatre, UK, an annual artist-led festival celebrating contemporary theatre. Since 2005, Kate has worked across academic roles and cultural sector contexts, and is regularly invited to speak as a panellist at international festivals. Kate was recipient of the Theatre Fellowship with the Clore Cultural Leadership Programme 2018/19.

Helen Freshwater is Reader in Theatre & Performance at Newcastle University, UK. She is the author of Theatre & Audience (Methuen Drama, 2009) and Theatre Censorship in Britain: Silencing, Censure and Suppression (2009). Between 2017-2020 she was Co-I on ‘Understanding Audiences for the Contemporary Arts’, an AHRC-funded project.

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9781350339170
ISBN 10	1350339172
Titel	Theatre and its Audiences
Autor	Kate Craddock
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Bindungsart	Paperback
Verlag	Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Erscheinungsjahr	2024-01-25
Seitenanzahl	224
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.