Troubled, but alive and kicking: new insights into political theatre outside the Establishment

Third-sector political theatre is thought of in connection with socio-political goals or structural decay. Socio-political goals encompass coverage of topics that engage with an array of crucial issues through performances, and the promotion of wider participation in such performances among many others. In committing to these imperatives, political theatre in the third sector is considered to facilitate democratic practice and drive social change. Owing to changing socio-political and socio-economic circumstances, ascendant imperatives of a professional, artistic and commercial nature now equally influence the making of political theatre in the third sector, the interaction of which poses significant problems for producers. To add to this, producers are confronted with subsidy-related pressures and face up to these challenges in ways that have not been sufficiently researched. Drawing on perspectives from the political economy of communication tradition, the sociology of cultural production and other relevant literature, and using ethnographic and case study research, I address this gap by analysing how producers negotiate the different imperatives and respond to pressures from subsidy. My two key arguments are that political theatre in this sector is more prevalent than is often acknowledged, and that sustainable funding strategies are required to support its socio-political effectiveness.