Although theatres such as the RSC and the National theatre were getting some funding many alternative/fringe theatre companies were not getting the same necessary funding in order for them to be nationally effective. Therefore, many small town theatre companies began to establish themselves as small community groups, basing most of their performance around local issues and issues that were not necessarily covered in mainstream.
Although established prior to 1979 many small theatre companies came into their own at this period. Having initially established themselves as small community groups in the early 1970’s by the end of the decade they soon found themselves becoming small community theatre groups. An example of such small groups can be seen in 1974 where there began to emerge a small number of theatre groups who were more political than aesthetic in their orientation. Most of these such groups were more or less comfortable with the term ‘agit-prop’ to describe their work, although the only company actually to adopt the name soon changed it to ‘Red Ladder’, which was among the first to take its shows to factory gates, strikers, union workers and working men’s clubs and pubs. It was during these early days of the Heath government that one of the few ‘fringe’ figures who had already made a name for himself in the established media, John McGrath, by now disillusioned with the radical potential of the television, formed the ‘different kind of touring theatre’ which was called 7:84- its name was taken from the statistic, central to the companies oppositional stance, that ‘seven per cent of the population owns 84 per cent of the wealth’.
But while McGrath claimed to recognise in England, too, the residue of an urban working-class culture which he aimed once again to tap, here rural communities tended to be not only conservative but also more insulated and tightly-knit. Such groups thus needed the careful nursing of a locally- based company with an intimate knowledge of their special history and problems; and from the recognition of such a need the “community theatre” movement grew. ‘Community of course, was as much a widely used word in the seventies, used to justify all manors of worthy and unworthy aims and achievements, as excellence has become in the nineties. But when it worked, usually by means of highly portable and often loosely-knit plays, with locally-driven themes which drew upon life experiences of their audiences, community theatre managed to evoke a kind of creative nostalgia while retaining an abrasive edge of social criticism.
Obviously, the more continuous and close was the involvement of a group with its location, the more successful was its work. And so, whether dealing with homosexuality, racism or even disability, the best shows, in which special knowledge of audiences was sympathetically driven and directed by the actors own crafts, offered a mutual learning experience in the humblest village hall or urban social centre. Much of this kind of community theatre was highly politicised. This could be for a particular reason. I believe that as these groups occasionally described themselves as ‘agit-prop’, they were merely small communist groups, designed to infiltrate themselves into local community by the use of theatre with the aim of highlighting the negative aspects of a non-communist society. They were simply using the theatre within the community to initiate the feeling of a collective society. At essence the core of communism. However, some- notably Ann Jellicoe’s various ambitious attempts to sift a town’s local history into a latter-day pageant- remained determinedly neutral.
Nowadays Community Theatre is a very popular form of theatre in which all or most of the participants are unpaid or “amateur”. Community theatre generally resembles professional theatre in all ways except the unpaid nature of the artists. Though community theatres are generally more traditional in nature, all forms of theatre practiced in these non-professional venues. They are especially well known for producing musical theatre and children’s theatre. Community theatre provides the opportunity for diverse individuals, many of them in other professions or from different backgrounds, to create plays and have the satisfaction of being part of an active social and artistic community. Often this involves individuals who have little or no background in theatre or the arts but who wish to get involved and to develop skills in theatre.
Community theatre is often ridiculed and reputed for having lower quality than that of professional theatre. However, a great number of community theatres are respected establishments in their community, and the great majority of professional artists in the theatre often began their careers in non-professional theatre. There are also a growing number of community theatre companies and groups that sponsor the writing, production and performance of original theatrical and dramatic work, as opposed to the usual performance of well known musicals and plays. These original works often involve local writers who have a strong sense of community in which they work, and whose work touches on themes relevant to the community based audiences. This is noticeably evident with a recent project I participated in for community theatre where the issue of the theatre piece was heavily influenced by the needs of a local disability group.
Community theatres range in size from small groups led by single individuals performing in borrowed spaces, to large year round companies with elaborate well equipped theatres of their own. Many community theatres are successful non-profit businesses with a large active membership and, in some cases, a full time professional staff. As the performers and other artists are also involved in other aspects of their community, non-professional theatre can develop a broad base of support and attendance among those who might not normally support the professional arts. Community theatre is in fact well documented as being the most widely attended venue for theatre in America and Australia.
Community theatre is often seen as adding to the social capital of a community, in that it develops skills and community spirit for those involved. Furthermore, it can also create a place for debate, self-expression and interactivity that is important for the health of a community. When this can involve people with learning disabilities, for example, it can disarm prejudices that people encounter on a daily basis.
